


Survey Corps: Supernatural Investigations

by Ashratherose



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: "alpha" levi, Bottom Eren, Eren's a hormonal shit, Fluff, Hanji cuddles are life, Heat Cycles, Lycan Eren, M/M, Mpreg, PTSD, Possessive Levi, Self Harm, Sex, Smut, Top Levi, blood rut, blood thirsty Levi, boss to partner to friend, but our baby boy keeps going, but we have werewolves and vampire and ghosts and stuff, collaring and cuffs, eren gets treated like shit, eren tries... he just fails miserably and Levi doesn't really help, erwins eyebrows aren't haunted, giverment sanctioned torture, hanji is love, he's just a little emotionally constipated, it's not like he doesn't try, kind of like aot, ok, outsider eren, possessive eren, self hate, supernatural shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-03-15 12:34:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 58
Words: 292,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13613493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashratherose/pseuds/Ashratherose
Summary: After presenting as a Lycan and with no idea why, Eren finds himself Hanji's guinea pig. That's fine. Not like great, but understandable. What's not understandable is the fact he's also been partnered with his hero... "Captain Levi".





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah. I pulled AOL, and edited it... I kind of wanted to try something like Descendants of Darkness, Blue Exorcist, Ai no Kusabi, and Mirage of Blaze... only it went sideways before I even started...
> 
> Forgive me. I suck. I admit it.

Staring up at the rough stone walls of the soaring military castle, Eren's heart was racing with excitement and anticipation. After 3 years of hell, he'd completed his initial training and was now about to achieve his dream. He was going to be in the prestigious Scouting Legion, also known as the Survey Corps. Feeling his best friend Armin elbow his side lightly, Eren hummed without taking his eyes off the castle  
"Eren, calm down. They're just normal people"  
"How can I calm down? I've wanted this for so long...  
"I'm just saying, it might not be everything you think it's going to be. Besides, we're lucky we've even been accepted"  
Eren's excitement plummeted like a rock down a well. Only his two best friends knew why they'd been accepted early, and it definitely wasn't due to their outstanding merit. No. It was because of the thing inside of him. Moving his hand to his stomach, Eren looked to his lap as he chewed his lip. He was a monster, a thing despised by humanity so much that if it were common knowledge of his existence, he'd be eradicated on the spot. He was a werewolf, or more specifically he suffered from lycanthropy. He turned at the full moon, he could shift into a wolf, and he was the last of his kind... The last of the humans that could retain their sanity when in their wolf forms. Though having presented just after his 15th birthday, admits the battle field, the extent of his powers and his potential military uses were yet to be uncovered. He'd narrowly kept his head when the commander of the Survey Corps put a bid in on his life.

Pulling up at the entrance, Eren shook slightly as he followed Armin out the carriage. Behind him was his other best friend, Mikasa. Both Armin and Mikasa were normal humans, though Mikasa's strength definitely put her in her own league, and since his wolf side had come to life, he'd been left wondering if Mikasa truly was just a human  
"Eren, who are we supposed to be meeting with?"  
"Erwin Smith... he's the commander here"  
Readjusting her scarf, Mikasa looked from him to thick solid wood doors in front of them. She was probably thinking the same things. Why were they standing out here alone, and what were they supposed to do now? It didn't feel right to just go ahead and let themselves in...  
"Should we just go in?"  
Trust Armin to voice their thoughts. Though lacking in physical strength, Armin's intelligence was insane... but he definitely lacked in the social skills department  
"You don't think this is some kind of test do you?"  
"I wouldn't think so... I mean, they were expecting us"  
"But why aren't they here then?"  
"Guys, let's just try knocking?"

With his heart in his throat, Eren tried to put on a brave face as he moved to the door. Just as his hand came down to knock on the door, it flew open and scared the hell out of him. Unable to help it, a growl escaped his throat, and he bared his teeth at the woman in the doorway. Letting out a screeching laugh, the woman looked more like a cackling witch than an elite soldier  
"Eren! I'm so happy to meet you! I'm sorry you had to wait outside, but there is never a dull moment here and who do we have here?"  
The woman's words came out as one fast sentence, so it was a moment before he could relax and actually comprehended what she's said  
"I'm Mikasa, and that's Armin. Who are you?"  
Embarrassment rushed to fill him thanks to Mikasa's barbed tones. Couldn't she just play nice?  
"I'm Hanji Zoe. I'm the head of the science division! I told Erwin I'd come and collect you, but I got carried away with one of my experiments and..."  
Taking a deep breath, Hanji rushed forward to take Eren's hands in hers  
"I'm just so excited to meet you!"  
Placing her hands on Eren's shoulders, Mikasa was definitely in her protective mum mode. Since losing their parents, or rather his parents and her adoptive parents to werewolves, his sister had appointed herself his protector  
"Thanks?"  
Hanji nodded with wide eyes, which Eren found equally confusing and creepy  
"We better get you up to Erwin!"

As Hanji lead them through the castle, everyone they passed stopped and stared. What he was supposed to be a secret, but it was like everyone knew and everyone was mentally sentencing him to death. Every bit of excitement he'd felt when he'd laid eyes on the castle was now long gone, and he found himself staring at his feet. Oblivious to his internal turmoil, Hanji barely paused for breath as she talked on and on about how excited she was and all the things she had planned. If he'd been paying attention, he probably wouldn't have liked a single thing she had to say.

After following her up another flight of stairs, Eren was sure there had to be a better and easier way to get to Erwin's office. The use of so many stairs seemed hardly practical in the case of an emergency arriving. Behind him, Armin let out a small groan, and Hanji finally slowed her pace  
"Sorry. I got a little carried away. I promise you it's not that much further"  
"I'm ok. It's just, there are so many stairs"  
"Armin, you're a soldier, we went through worse training than this"  
"Our training didn't include 674 stairs"  
Trust Armin to count each of them  
"Well, there's no more stairs between us and Erwin. In fact, his office is the last door at the end of the corridor"  
Looking down the hallway, Eren's eyes found the door in question. He didn't know what he expected but was kind of confused by the fact it looked just like every other door they'd passed. The only thing that seemed to make this hallway any different from the others was the thick forest green carpet that ran down the centre of it  
"Is that really it?"  
"Yep. But we really should hurry up. Levi is going to get mad if we take any longer"  
Levi... Standing a little taller, Eren's heart began to work in overdrive. He could still remember when he'd first set eyes on Captain Levi. The man they called "Humanities Strongest". The man he'd idolised so much. Eren knew the time for such things should have passed, but the man was his hero... and now he was going to meet him. This was way too much at once  
"Eren?"  
Realising Hanji had started walking forward without him, he stumbled as he rushed to catch up  
"You don't need to be so nervous"  
He kind of did. Levi had slaughtered hundreds of werewolves... and he was kind of werewolf. The only thing that made him different was that he could control his "powers" while the other wolves were basically mindless killers... if this meeting didn't go well, Levi could kill him right there and no one would think any less of him. It really wasn't a comforting thought.

*  
Knocking lightly on the door, Hanji didn't wait for an answer before opening it  
"Erwin, I've got the kids!"  
"Hanji, how many times have I told you to not just barge in here"  
"I didn't barge. I knocked and then opened the door. Anyway, this is Eren, Mikasa and Armin"  
Silently following Hanji into Erwin's office, Eren cast a glance around the room. A large solid bookcase took up the whole left wall, while on the right there was a fireplace. Both having been crafted from thick dark wood, it gave the room a feeling of being so much smaller than it was. Even the with the windows behind Erwin, Eren felt incredibly small in this space  
"Tsk. He's supposed to be in chains"  
Eren's heart skipped a beat at the cold words that filled the room  
"But Levi, look at him. Eren wouldn't hurt anyone"  
"He's a wolf Hanji. You can't say that for sure"  
Rising from the chair by the fireplace, Levi scowled at Hanji so coldly that the hairs on the back of Eren's neck stood on end  
"Hanji, take Mikasa and Armin down to eat. I'd like to talk to Eren alone"  
"We're not going anywhere"  
Moving to stand between himself and Erwin, Mikasa clearly didn't think she could trust the man that would be their commander  
"Mikasa, it's ok"  
"No Eren, they could kill you"  
"If we wanted Eren dead, he'd be dead"  
It wasn't like there hadn't been plenty of chances for that to happen. Like when he'd presented as a Lycan...  
"Mikasa, let's just go eat?"  
Taking her by the arm, Armin tugged hard on it. His friend clearly didn't like the tension that seemed to be growing in the room  
"Mikasa, Eren will be fine, and once this is all over, you'll be able to see him again"  
"If you do anything to hurt him, I will kill you"  
With those words, Mikasa finally let Armin pulled her from the room, and Hanji moved to follow the pair out.

"She seems quite spirited"  
Nodding at Erwin's words, Eren's eyes were on Levi as he moved to lean casually against Erwin's desk  
"Since our parents died, she seems to think she's my protector"  
"She's going to get herself killed if she doesn't pull her head in"  
Shit. Mikasa really hadn't left a great impression with Levi. Without Hanji in the room, Levi's scowl fell upon him  
"Well, perhaps we should return to the matter at hand. I'm sorry I couldn't come and personally collect you, but with things as they are, I can't currently leave my post"  
"It's fine sir..."  
Erwin raised an eyebrow at him, and Eren was left kicking himself mentally all over again  
"From what I understand, you recently presented as a Lycan, or rather as a werewolf during the invasion of Trost district?"  
"Yes sir"  
"And from the battle report, you were able to stop the invading werewolves?"  
"Not on my own sir"  
"Yes, initially you ran wild"  
"I have no memory of that sir. Only what I was told when I was taken into detention"  
"Erwin, he's dangerous. We can't let him roam freely"  
"Levi, we have discussed this. Eren is the first wolf we've encountered with these traits, if this is some mutation or evolution, we need to be prepared"  
Levi sighed again  
"Eren, will we have your full cooperation going forward, even knowing you will be executed on the spot if you display any signs of aggression to humanity?"  
"Yes sir. I fully intend to help in any way possible"  
"Captain Levi here will be overseeing you personally. Given your condition, his own condition makes him uniquely suited for this role..."  
Levi had a condition? What was that supposed to mean? Was Levi not completely human either?  
"... for the time being you will be confined to a cell in the basement, a cell that you will only be permitted to leave when Levi is by your side, until it's finally deemed you are not a threat"  
Shit. He'd missed what Erwin had been saying, he'd kind of phased out while staring at Levi  
"Do I make myself clear?"  
Snapping into asalute, Eren all but shouted  
"Yes, sir!"  
Which earned him another raised eyebrow  
"As for your friends, their formal graduation is still two months away. Until that time, they will be returned to the training barracks. Use tonight to say your goodbyes"  
As much as it sucked, it was probably safer if they did leave. Everyone here hated him and he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to his two best friends  
"Thank you, sir"  
"Levi. Take Eren down to eat, after that show him to his quarters. His friends may use the adjacent cell for the night"  
"I never signed up to be a babysitter"  
"It was this or we kill Eren and dissect him. He's currently more valuable alive than dead"  
Right. Eren really needed to stop getting his hopes up about people treating him normally ever again. Erwin was right. He was purely useful as long as he could be studied.

Unlike Hanji, Levi said nothing as they descended all those stairs again. His legs felt like jelly, and he wasn't sure if it was because of the stairs or because of the intense aura that seemed to be rolling off of Levi. Following a step behind the man, he tried his best to block out the smell of sweet black tea and earthy dirt that seemed to be rolling off his captain. Since having presented, everything seemed so much sharper, but above all, his sense of smell, and right now he had no idea why he was finding Levi's smell so enticing. The man clearly and openly hated him, and Eren was sure that presented with a different set of circumstances, his captain would happily kick his face in. So whatever he was feeling, he had to promptly squash it down, or risk Levi decapitating him on the spot  
"Shitty brat, whatever you're thinking, stop it"  
Eren stumbled slightly, caught off guard by Levi's words  
"Sir?"  
"I don't know what you're thinking, but the smell you're giving off is revolting"  
Mikasa and Armin both told him he smelt like wet dog, no matter how many times he'd showered and scrubbed himself down, yet hearing it from his idol dealt a harsh blow to his nerves  
"I'm sorry sir. I don't know how to stop it"  
"Have Hanji come up with something. I refuse to be subjected to your stench as well as babysitting you"  
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry sir"  
Levi fell silent again, and Eren found himself chewing on his lip as he followed the man down to the mess hall.

The moment they reached the mess hall, Levi lead him over to his friends  
"Wait here"  
"Yes sir"  
Sliding into the space Armin and Mikasa made, Eren felt like he could finally breathe once Levi had disappeared towards the open kitchen connected to the mess  
"Eren, you smell weird"  
"He smells weird?"  
Hanji was instantly interested in Armin's words  
"He usually smells more dog-like..."  
Leaning in, Hanji sniffed at him  
"He stinks to me"  
"No, he smells different. I'm sure of it"  
Fishing out a notebook from her pocket, Hanji immediately began making notes about him  
"Eren, how are you feeling right now? Do you feel any different than normal?"  
"Maybe a little warm? But I did just walk up and down all those stairs"  
Reaching over, Hanji placed her left palm on his forehead and her right palm on her own  
"You're warmer than me. Do you have a naturally high body temperature?"  
"I suppose so"  
"Well have to start with taking all your vital statistics tomorrow... but what do we do after that? I hear you have rapid healing? Should we test that first, or maybe..."  
Whatever Hanji was going to say next, it was cut off by Levi all but slamming down a plate of food in front of him  
"Shitty glasses, let him eat. I need to take him to his quarters after this, but you'll have him first thing tomorrow morning"  
"But Leeeevi, I'm just asking some questions"  
"All of which can wait until tomorrow. Eren, eat"  
Picking up his fork, Eren tried to ignore the fact that Levi had moved to sit next to Hanji and was glaring at him. He honestly had no appetite and it felt like his stomach was rolling. Forcing himself to eat, he didn't dare leave anything on his plate  
"What about you Mikasa? Do you have any special powers? As it is, you're at the top of your class"  
"No"  
"Are you sure? You've never felt any different or weird?"  
Mikasa didn't reply to Hanji, so the woman moved on to Armin  
"And you Armin?"  
"No. I'm human... Mikasa and I both are"  
"And you didn't notice anything different about Eren before he presented?"  
"Nothing... Eren's always been Eren... the only real thing that's changed is his smell"  
"So he started smelling like a dog after he presented. Has he ever smelt different in any other ways?"  
"Not that I know of, only just now"  
"Hanji, do something about that"  
"Eren. What kind of soap do you use? Just normal soap like everyone else?"  
"Yes ma'am"  
"You don't need to be so formal. Hanji is fine. So you use normal soap, not scented?"  
"I use the standard soap issued to us"  
"I wonder if I can make something to mask your scent..."  
"You will make something to mask his scent, or I will beat you senseless. We can't have him stinking up the halls"  
"Ok, ok. I'll make that one of the priorities"  
Finishing his meal, Hanji took his plate for him  
"Do you need me?"  
Levi all but rolled his eyes as he rose from the bench  
"The day I need you to help me look after 3 brats is the day hell freezes over. You three, with me"

*  
Locked in their respective cells, Mikasa was irate over their treatment, or rather irate over his treatment. Where they were free to move about the small cell, Eren was shacked to the wall by two thick chains near the top of his bed. He'd expected such a thing, and while it wasn't comfortable, he accepted it as a necessity. Mikasa, however, didn't. After half an hour of her complaining about it, he was about ready to yell at her to shut up and go to sleep. After all, he was completely exhausted and that was all he wanted to do. Armin being Armin tried to soothe Mikasa, which had zero effect at all. This was their last night together for the next couple of months, and Mikasa didn't even seem to realise she was completely ruining it or that she was in the wrong. Finally giving up on her, Eren covered his head with his pillow and burrowed into the thin mattress the best he could. It was going to be a long night.

It turned out he was right. He couldn't fall asleep and wound up tossing and turning, which caused his cuffs to rub against his wrists. By the time the early morning rays crept through the narrow window of the cell, the inside of the cuffs were bloody, and his wrists badly bruised. He knew he'd heal the moment the cuffs came off, but it wasn't an overly pleasant thing to experience until then. Rolling onto his back, Eren stared up at the ceiling while he listened to the soft snores of his friends. Two months. It would be the longest they'd been apart since the day their hometown had been ravaged by wolves. Unlike a true wolf, the werewolves were monstrous things. They walked on their hind legs like men, their bodies shaped men but covered with mangy fur and their faces that of a wolf. They were abominations, ungodly creatures that no one knew the origins of. If the legends were to be believed, species such as vampires, witches and even mermaids were said to exist, though no one had ever seen any proof of this. That's why the Scouting Legion existed. They dared to tread the land that God had forsaken. They dared to question everything the world thought it knew about the past. They saw the world for the grotesque birdcage it had become, and they wanted to be free. His mother had never understood how stifled he'd felt, she'd died before he could ever really convey what he felt, and no doubt she'd be less than amused by the way things had turned out. Rolling over again, Eren let out a shaky breath. He couldn't cry. He couldn't keep running. He'd chosen this path and now he had to accept the consequences of his choices.

It wasn't all that long after sunrise that Levi came to wake them. The man first waking his friends, before moving to his cell and undoing Eren's cuffs. Pulling the bloodied metal away from his wrists, his captain wrinkled his nose at the sight  
"Disgusting. After you're done with Hanji, you will be scrubbing these clean"  
"Yes sir"  
Part of him was a little shaken that Levi didn't seem to care his wrists were a bloody mess, but he supposed his captain could see just as well as he could that the wounds were already healing. Mikasa was naturally outraged that Eren hadn't mentioned to her that he was hurt, but what was she going to do about it anyway? The cuffs were heavy and thick metal, her glaring at them wasn't going to magically make them click open. Assuring Mikasa he was alright, they were lead back upstairs to the mess hall, where Hanji was already waiting. Given the early hour, their group was the only one there, and Eren had the feeling it was intentional. No doubt his presence the previous night had ruffled more than a few feathers. Taking his time to eat slowly, Hanji had already started with her questions, insisting she had to examine both his wrists during the course of his meal. This time she wouldn't even stop when Levi told her to. So what should have been a relatively quick breakfast was drawn at so long that by the time he'd finished, other soldiers had begun filing in. If this was how every morning was going to start, maybe death would have been the better option.

*  
After saying goodbye to his friends, Eren felt very much alone as he trailed behind Levi. There was this kind of coldness that seemed to have settled between them, yet Eren's body felt uncomfortably warm. Feeling the fine beads of sweat trickling down his back, he had to wonder if perhaps he was sick. It seemed to be the only logical explanation, but this definitely wasn't the time to be sick. If he fell ill, he had no idea what this wolf inside of him would do... as it was, it was he felt like it was clawing at his brain. The sensation wasn't completely unpleasant, though because it had been less than a month since his wolf side had come to life, he definitely wasn't used to it either. Stumbling to a stop, he realised Levi had also stopped  
"Sir?"  
"Your scents growing stronger. Is everything alright?"  
Dare he flatter himself to think that maybe his captain cared?  
"I'm fine sir"  
"Good. The last thing I need is to be stuck with sick shitty brat"  
Yeah. This was reality. Just because Levi had been his hero for so long, and just because he was now under the man's direct care, didn't mean he gave two shits about him. He needed to seperate himself from his childhood dreams of standing by Levi's side in battle, and accept he was nothing more than a dangerous abomination to the man... and a shitty brat.

Arriving at Hanji's lab, Levi took a seat in the far corner of the room, while Hanji practically launched herself on him  
"Eren! How are you feeling? How was your first night here?"  
"Hanji, you literally asked him that at breakfast. Try and contain your enthusiasm"  
"I can't help myself!"  
"Well learn to"  
Releasing her hold, Hanji grinned mischievously  
"Ok. So today, we're going to start very basic. I want to take a baseline of all your stats, and then we'll test them one by one"  
That didn't sound terrible... and initially, it wasn't. She started slowly by measuring his height, weight and temperature, but then she wanted him to strip  
"Hanji, is this really necessary?"  
"Of course it is! I need to make sure his human form is completely human. I also need to make sure he wasn't bitten or scratched. We have no idea how he acquired his powers, and though a werewolf bite has never been contagious, Eren can still turn"  
"Tsk. Get on with it then"  
Shuffling nervously, Eren looked to Levi  
"Sorry, Erwin insisted that Levi's here in case something happens"  
"It's ok. I understand"  
He just really didn't want his captain seeing him naked and being poked at  
"Just down to your underwear will do for now"  
Oh, thank god. Why couldn't she just say that to begin with? Stripping down to his underwear, he kept his back towards his captain.

Taking all his measurements, Hanji hummed happily as she worked  
"You have some scars... have you always had accelerated healing?"  
"No. It only happened after I..."  
"After you turned. What about when it comes to full moons and that?"  
"I turned, but I couldn't communicate properly"  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"I knew I was me, and I knew I was a wolf, but I was more like a wolf than a human... a wolf wolf, not a werewolf"  
English great. Speak well. Not.  
"Hmm, I'll have to tell Erwin we need to do night tests... what about now? Do you think you could turn?"  
"I don't know. I can try"  
"Hanji, don't even think about it. I know for a fact Erwin doesn't want Eren shifting or turning inside the castle"  
Hanji grumbled something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "toupee wearing eyebrow monster", though that might have just been partially his imagination. It was probably a terrible thing to judge someone on their eyebrows, but his commanders were so huge, he wouldn't be surprised if the man really was bald as all his hair was in his eyebrows  
"Fine. Eren, how about your senses? How does food taste?"  
"The same as ever"  
"And your hearing?"  
"A little better. It's more smells though. I can't really smell my own scent that much, but I can pick up smells on others"  
"You're lucky you can't smell yourself"  
Eren's cheeks burnt with embarrassment at Levi's words. It wasn't like he liked knowing he smelt  
"Sorry Eren, Levi's a total clean freak. You think after living so long, he'd learn how to loosen up"  
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what Hanji meant by that, but he just couldn't get the words to come out. Not when Levi already hated him  
"Armin and Mikasa say I smell like a wet dog"  
"What does he smell like to you Levi?"  
"Tsk. What are you asking me for?"  
"Call it scientific curiosity"  
"He smells. Let's just leave it at that"  
Hanji rolled her eyes before looking at Eren's crotch and Eren squirmed under her gaze  
"Right pants off"  
"Is... is this really necessary?"  
"As you know, werewolves don't exhibit human type sexual organs as you might expect. It's reported you didn't either..."  
If he blushed any harder, Eren was sure he'd pass out  
"Would you rather I have Levi examine you"  
No! Anything but that... besides, being naked should be no big deal... right? He'd been naked in front of others before, the showers had been communal after all. Sliding his hands to his underwear, he nearly fell face first as he awkwardly pushed them down.

Having Hanji's hands on his junk made him feel sick. He didn't really know how to explain it, other than it felt wrong. Like she wasn't the one supposed to be touching him like this, even if there was nothing sexual about it. For her part, Hanji at least tried to be quick about it all  
"You show signs of having developed small scent glands in your inner thighs, coupled with ones just behind your ears, but other than that, I can see no abnormalities. You can put your underwear back on now"  
Turning around to give him privacy, he didn't know why Hanji bothered. She'd just seen everything. Rushing to cover himself up again, he accidentally caught Levi's eye. The man looked completely disinterested in him, and Eren had no idea why his heart suddenly hurt  
"He's decent..."  
Turning back around, Hanji beamed  
"Excellent. Levi, can we take him outside now?"  
"Do I want to know why?"  
"I want to conduct his physical fitness tests"  
"My physical fitness tests?"  
"Yes. Now, I know that will probably sound a little weird, but I want to test your healing powers and how your physical exhaustion affects them. I'm going to cut your hand, and measure how long it takes to heal. After that, you'll run one lap of the grounds, and when you return I'll cut your hand again. Basically, I want to see how long you can run before your wounds stop healing immediately"  
Eren nodded slowly, not loving the idea of being cut repeatedly, but it wasn't like he has a choice  
"Um. Hanji, can I put my clothes back on?"  
"I suppose you'd better. You're such a cutie, we don't want anyone thinking they can take advantage of you"  
"I don't think he's in any danger of that"

*  
Being the middle of summer, the air was crisp and warm. Around him, it smelt like the whole world was bursting with life. Eren's nose was filled with the earthy scents of the forest surrounding them. There were plenty of trees back at the military academy, but their smell was completely different to here. It was stupid, but somehow here smelt cleaner and nicer, like the whole forest was enticing him to throw off his human skin and run free. Listening as Hanji explained the basic route she wanted him to take, Eren was forced to ignore the people "training" at the far end of the courtyard. They might have been training before Hanji and Levi brought him out here, but now they were all staring as if waiting for something to happen  
"Eren, do you understand what you have to do?"  
He really needed to stop getting caught up in his own thoughts  
"I do"  
"Great. Now give me your hand"  
Holding out his left hand, Hanji turned it palm up before pulling her knife from her belt  
"This is the baseline test. So just try and relax"  
Unable to look away, he watched as Hanji sliced across his left palm firmly. Before she'd even finished the wound was beginning to steam  
"That's so cool!"  
"Shitty glasses"  
Rubbing the back of her head, Hanji looked at Levi  
"You have to admit its kind of cool"  
"Your results aren't going to mean anything if you keep messing around"  
"It's took 1.3 seconds for the cut to heal completely. It's hardly scientific, but I do all my counting in my head. Right, Eren, I want you to jog. We'll save all out running for next week"  
Next week... Great.

By his 6th lap, Eren was definitely starting to feel it. His general feeling of warmth has blossomed into his skin feeling it like it was on fire, and his hand hadn't healed. They'd done much tougher training than this, so why was he failing so goddamn miserably? Feeling his pace dropping further, Eren threw everything he had into the last few metres, before all but collapsing at Hanji's feet  
"6 laps... show me your hand"  
Holding out his hand, he barely had the strength to hold his arm up. Noting down the lack of healing, Hanji hummed softly  
"Alright. Do you think you can do one more lap for me?"  
"Can't you smell him? He's dead on his feet. That's enough for today. We don't want to push him so far he turns unintentionally"  
If he could die and melt into the grass beneath him, that would be great. So far it seemed like he's shown all his shortcomings to his short captain. Pulling him up by his bleeding hand, Hanji frowned at him  
"You're hot. Really hot"  
"I don't feel too well"  
"Eren, you should have said so. You might be an important test subject, but you're also a soldier. Levi will take you back to your cell, and I'll see about having water brought down so you can clean yourself up. Your uniform should have been delivered by now"  
"My uniform?"  
"You're in the Survey Corps now. Those training clothes aren't going to cut it"  
Right. It was time to put away the crossed swords and don the wings of freedom. How could he forget? This place was his dream, so why was it everything he was thinking about came back to Levi, and how to get his captain to like him?

Trying to keep himself upright, Eren followed Levi at a snail's pace. To get to his cell from the training grounds, they had to first cross the training grounds, enter the outside courtyard/stable area, and then basically loop around to the opposite side of the castle by following a series of long halls. By the end of it, he wanted to throw himself into his bed and never move again. Which he would have given a good shot, if not for Levi's less than gentle reminder he needed to clean his cuffs. Part of him had honestly thought the man was joking, but a bigger part of him wondered if Levi knew how to make a joke. 

Without access to any other water than the drinking water that had appeared in his absence, Eren had to use that to scrub his cuffs clean. It was then that he learnt there was a wrong way to clean blood from metal, managing to anger Levi to the point the man snatched them up from his hold and scrubbed at them himself. Silently Eren watched on because he knew that was what Levi wanted him to do. The man's whole demeanour silently yelled at him "That he was only showing him this once" and "He should consider himself lucky". It wasn't his fault he couldn't sleep, or his fault that he bled because the cuffs were too tight. After finishing the first cuff, Levi placed it down carefully, before picking up the second  
"You do this one"  
Awkwardly taking the cuff from his captain, Eren's fingers accidentally brushed Levi's. A sudden feeling of need blossomed in the pit of his stomach, and involuntary whine escaped his lips  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry, sir. I don't know what's wrong with me. I promise I'll clean this, so you should go in case I'm contagious"  
Levi wrinkled his nose in clear disgust at the word "contagious"  
"I expect there to be no blood what so ever when I inspect these later"  
"Yes Sir"  
"If I find even the slightest trace, you'll be running laps from sunup to sundown"  
"Understood sir"  
Without having anything else to say to him, Eren watched as Levi calmly left the room and locked his cell from the outside. The moment his captain disappeared from view, Eren moved everything off the bed. He'd clean the cuff, but first, he needed to sleep.

It felt like his eyes had only just closed when he woke feeling like his body was on fire. Clawing at his own skin, he fell hard to the floor. His body was going crazy for something... writhing on the floor, he struggled to free himself from the itchy confines of his clothes. Between his legs was soaking wet with some sticky sweet smelling fluid that kept pouring from his arse, and his penis was painfully erect. Whimpering, his hands slid across his body as his back scraped against the blessedly cold floor. Whatever this was, he couldn't even think. The throbbing in his lower half was the only thing he was conscious of. It wasn't like he'd never had urges before, but never ever like this. Shifting into his wolf form, he couldn't let anyone see him like this... especially not Levi.


	2. Chapter 2

Stalking through the hallways, Levi glared openly at everyone he passed. Thanks to Eren's sudden appearance and segregation from the rest of the soldiers, he'd become the focus of an endless amount of rumours... so as the kid's babysitter, he'd been dragged into the mess the brat had caused. Erwin needed to do something about this, or more than one person was going to find their wagging tongue cut from their shitty mouths.

Not bothering with knocking, Levi entered Erwin's office with a low growl  
"Levi, I've been expecting you"  
"Of course you have"  
Rolling up his sleeve, Erwin held out his left arm  
"I'm not here for that"  
"You always get so cranky when you don't eat"  
"I'm not here for that. I'm here for because of that shitty brat"  
"Giving up already?"  
"No, but there's something wrong with him"  
"Other than he can turn into a Lycan?"  
"It's his smell. According to Hanji, the kid stinks like a wet dog"  
Erwin frowned at him, his commander lowering his arm as he did  
"Is that not the case?"  
"No. He smells sweet, too sweet. There's something in his scent that's making my teeth ache"  
Leaning back in his chair, Erwin's frown deepened  
"He smells sweet?"  
"He smells like blood"  
Normally "sweet" and "blood" didn't belong together, but he had no other way to describe the teen's scent. Eren had been walking through the castle, trailing that sweet smell all over the place, while completely oblivious to its effects. It was unsettling, to say the least, and left him uneasy  
"I see. What did Hanji say?"  
"She said Eren has developed scent glands on both his neck and inner thighs"  
"We already knew he wasn't human, but I wasn't expecting this. We'll need to have Hanji conduct a biopsy on these glands, and for now, he'll need to use scented soaps and keep his neck covered"  
"That might have to wait. Eren seems to be sick. Hanji reported Eren felt warm and he admitted to not feeling well"  
"Why didn't you bring this to my attention straight away? We can't risk him being sick and his condition speaking"  
Pushing his chair back hard enough for it to grate loudly against the wooden floor, Erwin rose to his full height  
"Where do you think you're going?"  
"To check on him. If this is contagious, we need to act immediately"  
"That doesn't mean you personally need to check on him. In fact, it's all the more reason for you to stay away"  
Erwin was their leader, despite his obvious need for answers, putting himself in harms was an unacceptable risk as far as Levi was concerned  
"It's my duty as commander to ensure the safety of the personnel under my command"  
Striding from behind his desk and across the room, Erwin was clearly not going to listen to him, so what was the point in arguing, the matter further.

*  
The moment Erwin opened the door that lead down to the basement cell, they were both hit with an odour so thick that Levi could taste it on his tongue. Pulling his cravat free, Levi tied it around his face to cover his nose and mouth. The smell had him practically giddy, like a cat with catnip. Erwin, on the other hand, was openly gagging  
"I'll go"  
Shaking his head, Erwin pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and held it against his face. Given all they'd seen and experienced, it must be truly revolting for the man to go to such lengths.

By the time they reached Eren's cell, Levi's body felt leaden. His skin was crawling knowing he would come out of this smelling like Eren, yet the sweetness that swirled around him was slowly robbing him of his anger and rationality. Continuing down to the cells, Levi tried to keep a neutral expression on his face, though failed somewhat miserably when he came to realise Eren was "hiding" under his bed while in what had to be his wolf form. From an outsiders perspective, it was like the brat was seriously injured, as long whimpers and whines fell between small snorts and huffs. Despite still looking nauseous, Erwin immediately snapped into professional mode  
"Get Hanji down here. We need to know what's going on"  
"We can't let her in with him while he's like this, there's no telling what he might do"  
"Do you have a better idea?"  
"Let me shoot him. I'll make it quick, he'll be dead before he even realises"  
"No... I don't think his goal is to hurt us. He seems more in pain as if he's the one who's hurting"  
"Hurting?"  
"What did Hanji do to him this morning?"  
"She did her initial tests, before testing his endurance and healing capabilities"  
"Something must have triggered this..."  
"Triggered what? The shitty brat couldn't survive a 6km jog? He wouldn't have made it this far if he couldn't survive basic training"  
As if finally noticing they were there, Eren dragged himself from under his bed, before making his way towards them on very unsteady legs. Reaching the bars, the teen slid his muzzle through and let out a long whine  
"Eren. Nod your head if you can understand us"  
Whining again, Eren dropped heavily to the floor. Great. The last thing they all needed was for the brat to drop dead under unusual circumstances  
"Levi. Go find Hanji"  
"Will you be able to stomach the smell?"  
Giving him a stern and somewhat disapproving look, Levi nodded before turning away from Eren. Whatever this was, he wanted no part in it. 

Word of the foul odour must have already reached Hanji, as he'd barely set foot in to the hallway before walking squarely into her  
"Whoa! Levi, are you ok?"  
"It's that brats stench. He's gone and shifted into a wolf"  
Hanji practically squealed with excitement, the loud cry stabbing into his brain with all the gentleness of a thousand knives. Swaying on his feet, he was embarrassed by the fact that Hanji had to catch him  
"Levi, have you eaten?!"  
"I'm fine. It's the smell. I'll get something to eat after this is dealt with"  
"If it's affecting you this badly..."  
"Drop it shitty glasses. Just do your job so I can do mine"  
Hanji hummed, somehow managing to look concerned over his welfare, but excited over Eren's wolf form at the same time. When Erwin has said Eren shifted, he was expecting to see a more werewolf form, not this large shaggy brown wolf that looked like it'd gotten on the wrong side of a hunters trap. He'd seen more appealing half starved mutts running around in the underground. Following Hanji silently down the stairs, he kept a hand firmly against the wall as they went.

"Hanji. You're here rather fast"  
While Hanji disregarded the fact Erwin's hand was in Eren's mouth, Levi couldn't help but feel that was the whole reason his commander was down here. Being an ordinary man had always been a bitter pill for Erwin to swallow, and now Eren had shown up from nowhere with this never before seen gift. Levi was almost sure Erwin was hoping to contract whatever afflicted Eren, and if the legends were to be believed, a bite would do just that.

"Levi, can you unlock the cell for me?"  
"Can't you just examine him through the bars?"  
"No. I need to take samples, and I need to make sure he isn't injured"  
"Wouldn't he heal if he was?"  
"Levi, unlock the cell. I've got a firm hold on Eren's mouth, so there's very little he can do to hurt Hanji"  
Right. Sure. That was the only reason Erwin's hand was there. His friend really wasn't fooling anyone  
"He could just bite through your hand"  
"I doubt he wants to"  
Following Erwin's orders, Levi held the door open for Hanji, before locking it after she was inside the cell. There was no he was dealing with any unnecessary paperwork, or the potential fall out from his friends being idiots. Keeping his eyes on Hanji, she didn't even hesitate as she walked over to Eren, before kneeling down and placing both her hands on the boy's pelt  
"Wow. He's so soft. I mean, he looks like he'd be all wiry, but he's super soft. Levi, you should feel this"  
"Or I could not, and you could do your damn job"  
Rolling her eyes, Hanji's hands moved across Eren's stomach  
"Eren, I want you to whimper if it hurts"  
Given Eren was already whimpering, Levi was pretty much certain Hanji hadn't thought this through.

From his stomach, Hanji had then moved to Eren's mouth, before working her way down his whole body... including the boy's arse. This was something else he definitely didn't need to see  
"Hanji, leave his arse alone"  
"But Levi, you should see this. His arse is oozing this fluid, almost like a woman would when she's aroused. I'm beginning to think due to his wolf DNA, Eren's gone into a rut..."  
"You said he was human"  
"That's because other than the scent glands, I didn't find anything out of the normal and you know I haven't had a chance to do a thorough internal examination"  
"How do we treat this?"  
"If he is in a rut, it means his body is calling out for a suitable mate. I'm not saying we have to find another wolf for him to do the do with, but I would recommend quarantining him until his symptoms fade. The thing with wolves is that they mate for life, and they are highly protective of their mate and offspring. No doubt if we were to give Eren someone to mate with, he'd imprint on them, and see them as his mate, which could be highly problematic in the future. I know we've had no success with sedating werewolves, but given Eren was born human, we should be able to keep him unconscious for the time being"  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Levi nodded  
"We'll also need a secondary set of chains for in here. He'll be easily able to slip the ones made of his human form"  
"Levi. You can't just chain him up"  
"How is it any different from pumping him full of drugs? We know nothing about him"  
"And we knew nothing about you either when you first showed up"  
Levi shot a glare at Hanji, she way out of line. At least he was more human than Eren...  
"I was useful from day one, Eren, on the other hand, has been nothing but trouble"  
Throwing herself over Eren, Hanji rubbed her face against Eren's coat as her hand moved to pat Eren's head, cooing over the teen as she did  
"Eren probably didn't even know what was happening. He did say he felt sick, didn't you Eren"  
"Enough. Hanji, Eren will be chained and you will monitor all changes in him. Levi, Hanji won't be drugging Eren so you'll be expected to keep watch over the pair of them"  
"Alright. Levi, can you tell Moblit what's happening, he'll organise everything we need"  
"Hanji. You're not staying in there without supervision. Levi, I'll leave you to deal with Hanji"  
Great. No one was able to deal with Hanji. The woman was a force to be reckoned with at the best of times.

*  
This was getting ridiculous. Hanji had taken all the samples she'd wanted on the first day, yet she insisted she needed to watch over Eren during his rut. Any little detail could be vital. Or something like that, whatever it was, the aching in his teeth had grown so painful Levi had had to leave the basement. Sleep deprived and starving, he was barely controlling his desires. Which meant he needed Erwin.

Striding through the halls, everyone he saw looked like a bag of blood on legs. The fierce scowl on his face kept anyone from approaching him, or perhaps it was Eren's lingering scent, despite having left the basement three floors below him, himself it hadn't diminished in the slightest. Eren's scent had well and truly infused into his uniform, so badly, in fact, he was left wondering if it would come out with soap and water. If he had to replace it, that brat would be scrubbing dishes for the rest of his life.

Kicking open Erwin's door, he snarled at the two soldiers in the room with his commander. The hunger he felt could no longer be held back, not when his meal ticket was right in front of him  
"Out!"  
The pair looked to Erwin, who just nodded  
"We'll continue this later"  
Saluting, the soldiers then took their sweet him walking from Erwin's office. He couldn't wait. With four long strides, Levi crossed the room, not even waiting for permission before biting down on Erwin's neck. Normally he fed from Erwin's wrist, and being mostly human, he only needed to fresh blood once a month. All but moaning, the warm coppery liquid filled his mouth, unable to stop himself he drank deeply until Erwin finally pushed him off  
"No more, at least for now"  
Levi wiped at his face, his hunger wasn't fully sated, but at least he'd regained some of his senses. Moving to sink into a chair across from Erwin's desk, Levi ran his tongue over his lips in an attempt to catch any of the remaining blood  
"It's been a long time since your hunger was that bad"  
"I haven't had a chance to feed since you left me watching over Eren and Hanji"  
"You could have just fed from her"  
"Not in front of Eren. The last thing I need is him thinking we're alike"  
Wiping his bleeding neck, Erwin cast him a somewhat confused look  
"So he's settled down?"  
"No. Hanji seems to think his rut is passing, but he's still in his wolf form"  
"Then what's the problem"  
The problem was that he could barely keep his hunger under control with Eren's scent driving him crazy. It was highly probable he'd drain Hanji dry, and not realise it until the woman was dead  
"Nothing. Never mind. I'm going to wash this filthy stench off. Thanks for the meal"  
"Levi, if having Eren here is going to affect you... we can find another way"  
"No. No. It's fine"  
Erwin stared at him sceptically  
"It's fine. Once this rut passes, Eren will probably settle"  
"If he doesn't, I'll assign him to Hanji"  
"I thought you didn't want Eren dead"  
"Better the devil you know..."  
"...Then the devil you don't. Got it"

*  
It was a whole 5 days before Eren's rut finally came to an end, and the boy finally shifted back into his human form. Laying slumped on his cell floor, Eren was barely even conscious as Hanji immediately started poking and prodding at him  
"Eren, how do you feel?"  
Shaking his head, it was clear Eren just wanted to sleep, despite being covered in his own bodily fluids  
"Hanji, cut it out. The brat needs sleep and food"  
"I can see that, but I need to know how he feels"  
"He feels shit"  
Nodding his head weakly, Eren seemed to be agreeing with him  
"Help me get him up on the bed"  
"I'll take care of him, just go get some hot water. He's filthy"  
Hanji sighed but nodded. Taking a good hard look at his friend, he found her completely exhausted. Leaving the cell, she left the door wide open, though Levi saw no point scolding her for it. Moving to Eren's side, he reached down and lifted the teen with ease. Arching in his arms, he was disgusted as Eren came with a low moan. Shitty brat. He might not be able to help himself, but he didn't need to see this. Laying Eren down on his bed, he didn't know what exactly he should do. The kid was shaking as if freezing cold, but if he covered him with the thin blanket at the end of Eren's bed, it would end up dirty. Then again, the same argument could be made for the sheets Eren was laying on at the moment. Hesitating for a moment longer, he ultimately covered the teen so he would no longer have to stare at the boy's naked form.

When Hanji finally returned, she'd roped Moblit into helping her... despite the fact no one else was supposed to know about Eren's condition. With their arms loaded, it took him a moment to figure out just what they'd brought with them. Hanji was carrying two buckets, both filled with water, while Moblit had his arms full with a new uniform for Eren, as well a new set of sheets. Placing the pile down near the entrance of the cell, Moblit rushed to split the pile. In the middle of it, all was soap and food. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes over the fact the man had messed up both the clean sheets and uniform, it turned out he didn't have to worry as Moblit had placed the pile between two towels  
"Moblit, you and Levi clean Eren up. I'll change his sheets"  
"I'll clean him, you hold him up"  
Levi wasn't particularly sure why he felt like he should be the one to clean Eren, but when his fingers had touched the boy, it had been like a jolt to his whole body. Realising they were both staring at him, Levi cleared his throat rather unconvincingly  
"Moblit is taller. He'll be able to hold Eren up better"  
Hanji looked at Moblit and nodded. The man then moving forward to lift Eren off the bed. 

Almost immediately Eren tried to fight him off, and his sweet bloody scent turned sour. Given his weakened state, Moblit easily subdued Eren, but then the teen did something completely unexpected by bursting into tears  
"Levi, maybe you should take over? His emotions must be all over the place, and he's used to your smell now"  
All the more reason someone else should be handling the boy. He didn't want Eren coming again, not when the boy would probably be mortified enough  
"Fine, but none of this gets back to Erwin. I don't want him making this into a bigger mess than it already is"  
"I don't think Erwin needs to know..."

Laying the already dirty blanket on the floor, Moblit laid Eren down on it carefully. Eren immediately curled in on himself as he continued to cry. Ignoring the discomfort that had settled in his gut, Levi moved the two buckets closer to the boy  
"Eren, Levi's going to clean you down. Then we'll get you dried off and back in bed"  
For his part, Eren didn't respond, so Levi went about cleaning the brat down. 

Getting Eren clean proved harder than expected. The boy was still leaking the same honey-like liquid from his arse, which lead to Hanji insisting she needed to examine him. With Eren slumped against him, Hanji's performed the internal examination and left him cringing. Eren's sobs had only intensified since she started, and before long the boy's scent had soured so much, that even Hanji had to stop  
"Next time he's like this, I'd like to perform a more thorough examination"  
"What do you mean next time?"  
"If he is being driven by the desires of his wolf side, he's going to go into season again. Now that we know about it, I'll start looking into suppressing it"  
At least that was something... Cleaning up the mess she's made, Hanji then tore off a long strip of dry blanket, before folding it  
"This was, if he continues to leak, the cloth will catch it"  
They really needed a better word for it. He didn't need to associate the shitty brat with an actual leaking arse. Holding Eren, the teen kept his forehead against Levi's neck as both Hanji and Moblit dried the teen down and finally got him into his underwear and pants. Lifting the limp teen as he rose, Levi carefully moved to position Eren in his bed, before covering the teen with the thick clean blankets. Almost immediately the teen finally passed out, and Levi looked to Hanji  
"I might have slipped him something while I was examining him"  
There wasn't a single trace of guilt in her tone, and honestly, he was relieved she had. 

After cleaning the cell, Hanji set out food for when Eren woke and sent Moblit for fresh drinking water. All Eren's blankets and clothes were gathered for processing by Hanji. Given Eren was no immediate threat, Levi found himself opting not to chain the teen. He didn't know why the monster inside of him empathised so strongly with this one, but he knew once Eren had recovered they'd definitely need to set up some ground rules... such as warning him the moment he felt sick, so they could hopefully prevent this mess from ever happening again.


	3. Chapter 3

Completely mortified over what had transpired, Eren found himself able to remember only some of what happened. What he could remember, he remembered with embarrassing clarity. He'd wanted to breed. That was the only way to describe the sensations that had filled every part of his being... or at least that was how he explained it to Hanji. Sitting across from the woman, he was still exhausted, though determined. He'd just spent 5 days as a wolf, which he couldn't remember. What he could remember was shifting back into his human form and being filled with the need to be... filled. He was sure every word out his mouth was only making things worse for himself, but surely Hanji could find some way for it all to mean something.

Having finished speaking, Eren's heart was hammering in his chest as he waited for Hanji to speak. Given he'd been staring at the floor as he spoke, he cautiously looked up, fully expecting Hanji to look supportive. Instead, he found her seemingly concerned  
"Eren, I need to conduct an internal examination. Is this alright?"  
What? Why? Hadn't she gotten enough data? What more was there for her to look at? He didn't particularly want to be cut open, but he couldn't say no. And Hanji knew that... so why even ask? Nodding quickly, he didn't trust himself not to voice his thoughts  
"Good. I'll sedate you, and you'll feel minimal pain during the procedure"  
And there went his determination. Straight out the window as his stomach dropped  
"Hanji... will I wake up from this?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Will you kill me? While I'm unconscious?"  
Hanji's eyes widened, shaking her head, she moved to kneel in front of him  
"Is that what you think? That I'll just kill you?"  
"No... no... maybe. I mean... I don't understand what's happening, and you and Levi just had to waste a week looking after me, when I'm not sure I even deserve it"  
"Eren, we're not going to kill you. I honestly thought you were an alpha wolf, and that you were going through a rut. But just now you told me you felt like you needed to breed. So I need to take a look inside of you and see why"  
"It doesn't matter, does it? I'm a boy. It's not like sex will lead to anything happening"  
"Still. I need to understand what's going on with you, so if we encounter someone else like you, we'll know what's going on"  
"I'm sorry. I must seem so pathetic. All I wanted to do was work here. Even since before my parents died, I wanted to hunt the things that scare and kill people. No one knows where the werewolves come from, and to find out I'm like them. I feel like I've lost part of myself. I hate myself for this, but I don't want to die. I want to kill them all so no one has to suffer"  
"I think you're tired and emotional. Once things settle down and you're finally allowed in the field, I think you'll end up feeling better"  
"I don't know if or when I'll be allowed in the field"  
"Until then, you'll help me with my research and not just as a test subject. We can't have you cooped up in the cell all day"  
Nodding sadly, Eren felt like a damn pansy. Hanji was right though, his moods and thoughts were all over the place  
"Alright. But if I do die, I want to be buried..."  
"Eren, do you really think I'd let you die? I still haven't seen your proper form"  
Snorting at Hanji's grin, he couldn't help the smile forming in response to hers  
"Let's do this"

*  
Of all Hanji's ideas, this had to be the most pointless and he had no idea how the woman had secured Erwin's permission to operate on Eren, yet there he was. Watching as Hanji cut into Eren's most private places. The woman had started the procedure by first performing a biopsy on Eren's 4 scent glands, which was fine. What wasn't fine was the fact she was now openly slicing into the boy's arse, while he was forced to watch the whole thing in case Eren shifted or became violent during the surgery. With all Hanji's meddling, Levi hadn't even talked to the boy since his rut... heat... ended. To him, sexual curiosity seemed perfectly normal when it came to teenagers, yet because Eren had said he felt like he needed to be bred, they were going to all this bother. What did it matter if Eren swung that way? He was male, it wasn't like he'd wind up pregnant. 

Watching the blood on Hanji's arm grow, Levi's teeth began to ache. This was another reason he shouldn't be the one watching this surgery. His hunger still hadn't settled, and it felt like Eren's blood was just begging to be drunk. Rising from his seat, he began to pace at the end of the room  
"Levi, I can't concentrate with you pacing"  
"Too bad"  
"Look, I'm nearly done here. Do you think you can stay still for just a little longer"  
"Hanji. You have blood all over you. I think it's past time you were done"  
"I can't help it. Every time I cut, I have to go over it half a dozen times because Eren heals so fast"  
"What exactly are you cutting?"  
"There seems to be a womb of some sort inside Eren's anus..."  
"Alright. I don't need to hear anything else. Cut it out, and let him heal"  
"I can't just cut it out"  
"He'll heal, but he's not going to heal if he dies from blood loss first"  
"Moblit. How's his heart rate?"  
"Slower than when you started"  
"Shit. Ok. Eren, I'm doing this for your own good"  
Her statement was followed by a very wet and bloody pop, as something was pulled from inside Eren's arse. Levi couldn't help but scrunch his face up in disgust  
"Is that?"  
"Yeah. I need to examine this"  
"Hanji, if he can get pregnant..."  
"I severely doubt he'd be fertile. No. I think this comes from his wolf side..."  
"That doesn't matter. If they even suspect..."  
His friends face paled at the implications  
"I can't not tell Erwin"  
"Then tell him you removed it. Eren's already an outcast, he doesn't need to know about this either"  
"Levi, could it be you feel something for Eren? Because he's like you?"  
"No. I just don't want him ending up dead before we get some real answers"  
Hanji hummed, clearly sceptical   
"Alright. I just need to stitch him up. He's healing, but because of all the damage, it's taking some time"

Leaving Eren chained and in bed, Levi headed up to report to Erwin. Entering his friend's office, he found Hanji already there  
"How's Eren?"  
"Still unconscious. The bleeding seems to have stopped"  
"And you?"  
Levi raised an eyebrow  
"You'll have to feed off Hanji today. I have a meeting later"  
Sinking into the chair next to Hanji, she immediately offered her arm to him  
"I didn't even think of the implications of having Levi around all that blood"  
"Well normally he can contain his urges, I understand you took samples from his scent glands"  
Hanji winced slightly as Levi's teeth pierced her skin. Tasting soap, he also tasted what could only be Eren's lingering blood. The moment it met his tongue, he couldn't help the groan that slipped from the back of his throat. He'd never tasted anything like it. Erwin's blood was the best he'd ever tasted, but even that didn't hold a candle to the remnants of Eren's. Drinking deeply, it didn't take as long as usual for him to feel full  
"You can take a little more"  
Shaking his head, Levi pulled back  
"I'm full"  
"Levi, your hunger's not a safe thing to ignore"  
Pulling his cravat off, he cleaned his mouth  
"I'm fine. Thanks"  
Both his friends stared at him, clearly worried that he was lying  
"Eren's blood was still on Hanji's skin. I don't know why, but I could taste that and I didn't need to drink as much"  
Hanji let out a small gasp  
"Oh my god, do you know what this means? If you feed off Eren..."  
"No. I'm not feeding off Eren. It's bad enough that I need to feed on either of you"  
"But Levi, if your hungers sated so easily from a few drops of Eren's blood"  
"No. Drop it"  
Hanji looked to Erwin for support  
"We can't risk Levi's nature being exposed"  
"All I'm saying is, maybe I can come up with a tablet or something. Something you can keep on you in case of an emergency. I need to take his blood for analysis anyway"  
"Your main priority should be masking Eren's scent"  
"I already have Moblit examining the biopsies. Given his heat has passed, his smell seems to have dropped dramatically"  
"So you're sure he's..."  
"Yes. I found what seems to be the opening to a womb inside his anus, and of course I need to finish dissecting it, but I highly doubt he's fertile. For all intent and purposes, Eren is biologically male, making him incapable of falling pregnant"  
Levi shot Hanji a glare, but Erwin rose to his feet  
"No one else is to know. Including Moblit"  
"Moblit won't tell anyone. He's been ordered not to include details other than those pertaining to the biopsy in his report"  
"We still need to decide how much to tell them about his heat"  
"I've already got that covered. Levi, when Eren awakens, make sure he eats. Hanji, I want you to report everything you find first thing tomorrow morning"  
"So I'm still on babysitting duty"  
"Just think of this as the prelude to him becoming your official partner"  
Levi was shocked. He wasn't completely surprised they'd want a monster like him watching over Eren, but becoming the brats official partner... 

Parting ways with Hanji, Levi felt no particular inclination or need to check on Eren. Hanji would more than likely check in with Eren later, so it was time he tried to return some normality to his life. Returning to his quarters, Levi stripped before heading into his private bathroom. Despite telling himself there was no point dwelling on something he couldn't currently change, Eren wouldn't disappear from his thoughts. The kid was only 15... half his officially listed age... a brat and a green soldier. Though to the public the Survey Corps was an official military branch that took on a mission outside the walls in hopes of expanding Humanities territories, they were also the dogs of the government. Tasked with investigating things that weren't quite "human". As far as the masses went, vampires, ghosts, demons and spirits were all just fairytales of the past. And for the most part they were, yet here he was and no one had even put two and two together to realise he was a vampire. Other than his two friends, the only people who knew were his squad, consisting of Petra, Olou, Gunther, Eld, and Mike, Mike wasn't technically in his squad, but with the man's keen sense of smell, it wasn't something he could hide from him.

*  
Waking to find Hanji sitting beside him, Eren supposed he should consider himself lucky he even woke to begin with. Giving him a small smile, the woman reached out to brush the hair back from his face  
"Hey. How are you feeling?"  
"Fine... a little tired, but alright. How did it go?"  
"Moblit it is still working on the biopsy samples"  
"And..."  
Hanji sighed  
"As I suspected, you do have the internal organs to carry a child, or rather, you did. I don't know if they'll heal, or possibly grow back... I'm sorry Eren, I removed them for your own safety. Even if you turned out being sterile, the government wouldn't take any chances if they knew"  
So he was more of a freak than he'd thought possible... at least Hanji had cut it out of him...  
"I know this is probably a huge shock, especially seeing you've just woken up"  
"No. It... it's ok. You did the right thing. Do you think the heats will stop now?"  
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Your brain is going to send out the signals, even if the organ is now gone. Your body's probably going to feel a little weird as out of sorts"  
Eren snorted  
"It already feels weird. So what happens now?"  
"Tomorrow morning I'll be talking this through with Erwin"  
"Ugh... he probably wants me dead. Him and Levi. I've been nothing but trouble since I got here"  
"Well, Erwin doesn't want you dead and Levi just doesn't like your smell. He'll get over it though. He comes off much colder than he actually is"  
"So I shouldn't be scared of him?"  
"No more than you are of me"  
Eren bit back another snort. Hanji was nice, but that didn't mean he wasn't slightly scared of her  
"Eren, do you mind if I take a look at you? Make sure everything's ok?"

After a quick check over by Hanji, the woman went ahead and unlocked his chains. Whispering as if it was a great secret, Hanji's eyes were wide as she stared into his  
"Don't tell Levi I stole the key"  
"You don't have to tell me, I already know"  
The pair both jumped and flinched in unison as Levi's voice met their ears  
"Levi! Don't do that!"  
Calmly walking over, Levi let himself into Eren's cell  
"You know he's not meant to be unchained"  
"He's fine. I'll take responsibility"  
Levi ignored Hanji, instead staring straight at him  
"Everything alright with him?"  
"Yep. He's all healed up. I was going to take him up so he could have a real shower, and get something to eat"  
Eren was sure Levi was about to say no, that was certainly what the scowl on Levi's face said  
"Fine. But he's showering first"

Following behind Levi, Eren couldn't help but try and make himself as small as possible. Everyone they passed gave him a second look, and it left him wondering if his scent was spilling out freely again. All he wanted was to kill monsters, to take his revenge over everything he'd lost, but with all that had happened, he'd become so self-absorbed. Arriving at the communal bathroom, Levi pulled a towel from the middle of the small pile  
"Dirty towels go in the basket near the showers"  
Eren nodded, he was just about to ask for soap when Levi pulled a bar from his pocket  
"This is citrus soap. It's my from my own personal stash"  
Placing the bar on top of the pile, Levi stared at him until he realised that was all his commanding officer was going to say.

After sponge baths from a bucket, a real warm shower was heavenly. Taking his time to thoroughly scrub every inch of himself, he tried his best to ignore the fluid running from his arse again. The soaps scent helped to offset the sweet honey of the fluid, but it wasn't enough to completely erase the smell of blood from his earlier surgery. Kids... he's honestly never thought of having them. Not when he knew how badly it hurt to lose his parents. He couldn't do that to anyone else... but... Moving his hand to rub his stomach, he couldn't stop himself from momentarily wondering what it would be like. The little voice of his wolf side seemed to be clearly for it. Even if it didn't "say" anything, the feeling that filled him was one of want. Unexpected tears filled his eyes. Hanji had removed any chance of that happening to save him, and he was being stupid dwelling on it.

"Eren"  
Jumping at Levi calling his name, Eren nearly slipped as he span around in the shower stall  
"Hurry up in there"  
"Yes, sir!"  
Despite the fact the door prevented Levi from seeing him, Eren still saluted the man. Here he was, training under Captain Levi, Humanities Strongest soldier. He should be embracing the chance to learn from the man instead of throwing his own pity party. Scolding himself thoroughly, he silently resolved to do better.

After showering, Levi had wrapped the soap in some kind of waxy paper, before ordering him to use it daily. Taking that to mean he smelt better, Eren nodded to himself. He could do this. He would do this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive! Though class is kicking my arse!
> 
> We have to design a pest management plan for the whole region... consult with our stakeholders and make recommendations on plans already in place. I feel like all I'm doing is stepping on everyone's toes. Also, castor oil plants only have two treatments...
> 
> Whatever...
> 
> It mini chapter time. There's more to it, but the pacing just feels so off

Having secured Erwin's permission, Eren was excited. Hanji wanted to take him out to perform a few turning, or as she called it, shifting tests. Both she and Levi would be present, as well as Levi's squad, whom he was yet to meet. Bursting with excitement, Eren was currently in the process of saddling up what would be his horse. He already saddled Hanji's up for her, and Levi insisted he'd handle saddling his own horse, which allowed him a little extra time. Rubbing the velvety skin of his horse's mouth, he was currently trying to get her to accept the bit. While he could ride using a halter, he had a feeling it wouldn't reflect well on him if he couldn't do something so simple  
"Come on, open your mouth"  
All he needed was the bit in place, then he could finally do the bridle up and make sure his reins were the right length  
"Need some help?"  
Jumping at the sound of a woman's voice, Eren shook his head quickly  
"No, it's fine. She's just refusing the bit"  
"Here"  
Walking over to him, the short strawberry blonde woman pulled the bridle from his hold and went about forcing the bit into the mare's mouth   
"Sometimes you have to be a little rough"  
Eren didn't particularly like being rough when it came to the horses, they had a hard enough life as it was  
"Right. Thanks"  
"I'm Petra Ral. You're Eren right?"  
"Yeah"  
The way she'd introduced herself left him with the feeling he'd done something wrong  
"You're lucky to be assigned to our squad so fast..."  
"Oh, I guess. It was Erwin's orders"  
"Don't forget. Just because you've made it on to our squad, it doesn't mean we're just going to accept you without knowing anything about you"  
"Understood... I'll try not to be a burden"  
"Captain Levi has enough worries, and none of us will forgive you if you lead to him being hurt"  
Finishing up buckling the bridle's second buckle, Petra gave him a small sweet smile before leaving him. Despite her small stature, she'd left his heart beating uncomfortably fast. Moving to check the length of his stirrups and readjust the girth strap, he triple checked everything before climbing into the saddle  
"What do you think you're doing brat?"  
Jumping again, his heart had barely settled, and now it racing all over again  
"Just... just checking the reins sir"  
Levi nodded  
"I see horses don't seem to mind you"  
"No, sir. If anything they seem to like me more"  
"So the beasts like the beast. Makes sense"  
Trying to ignore the way Levi's words stabbed at him, Eren gathered his reins and nudged his horse with his heels  
"I'll wait outside sir"

*  
Galloping alongside Hanji, Eren was loving the feel of the sun against his skin. It honestly felt like a small lifetime had passed since Hanji's initially tests outside. Closing his eyes, he gripped the saddle tighter with his keys as his hands loosened the hold on the reins. Growing up in Shinganshima, he'd seen countless men and women riding through town, but this... he didn't think he'd be doing this anytime soon. Opening his eyes again, he looked to Hanji. The woman smiling broadly at him. Looking forward, he eyed the cart full of supplies. They were going for a whole week, and even with the somewhat cold atmosphere between and the rest of the squad, it hands down beat the cold cell he called home.

Having ridden hard all morning, Levi was the one who finally decided it was time to stop. Picking a spot a little distance from the forest, his team all leapt into action. Following the lead of the others, he tethered his horse to the side of the cart before moving to help unload  
"Leave it. You'll only get in the way"  
Stepping back, he stumbled hard enough that he found himself falling on his arse before he could stop it  
"Slacking off already?"  
"N-no sir!"  
"Good. Go check in with Hanji. She wants to get started immediately"  
Rising to his feet, he brushed himself off. If only the damage to his ego could be brushed aside so easily.

Walking over to where Hanji was unpacking her saddlebags, Eren hovered just off to her side  
"Is there anything I can do?"  
"No, not right now. Why don't you take a small rest? You must be tired from the ride. When I'm done here I'll come wake you so we can all have lunch"  
"Oh. Ok"  
Wandering a short distance away from everyone, Eren slowly lowered himself down. It didn't feel right that everyone was running around and getting things set up, while he just sat there... feeling himself growing both upset and frustrated, Eren flopped back on the grass and stared up at the sun. Maybe a nap wouldn't be so bad?

*  
"Levi, you have to come see this"  
Looking up at Hanji, Levi was less than thrilled at her interruption. He was busy trying to organise the tent he would be sharing with Eren. Personally, Levi was half wishing Eren would end up hurt so severely they had to return back to the castle  
"What is it?"  
"You just have to come with me"  
"This better be good shitty glasses"  
"Oh trust me, it definitely is"  
Following Hanji from the tent, the moved a small distance away from the camp. Laying sprawled out in the grass, Eren was fast asleep with a small bird standing on his stomach. For the barest of moments, a small smile tugged at the corners of Levi's lips  
"Doesn't he look adorable?"  
"He's not supposed to be left unsupervised"  
"I told him to go take a nap. He was trying to help, but no one wanted him around"  
Levi sighed heavily and cast a glance back towards his squad  
"I know they're less than thrilled that he was moved straight in"  
"He's a good kid Levi, so maybe have a word with them?"  
"Why should I have to have a word with them? I don't even like the kid. No. Let him earn their respect. If I step in, it'll be even worse"  
Hanji nodded slowly  
"Fine. But you have told them he's a wolf right?"  
"They know, but I don't think they believe it"  
"I suppose seeing is believing. Let's let him sleep a little longer"  
"He's here for your experiments, not to nap"  
"But..."  
Shooting a scowl in Hanji's direction, Levi walked over to Eren, scaring the bird off in the process, and nudged the boy with his foot  
"Shitty brat, it's time to wake up"  
Rolling over, Eren mumbled in his sleep. Nudging him "slightly" harder, the teen scrambled up with a yelp  
"Sir!?"  
"Food time"  
Nodding with a yawn, Eren stretched before yawning again  
"Sorry, sir. The sun feels so nice"  
"Obviously"  
Waiting for Eren to start walking, Levi fell in behind him, as he tried to the look at Hanji's face. Whatever she was thinking, the answer was no.

During their simple lunch of cheese and bread, Levi watched his squad carefully. Eren was definitely the outsider, and his squad really wasn't going to any effort to include him. Swallowing down the last of him bread, Eren looked up and momentarily caught his eye. Flashing him a small smile, the boy then choked on his bread. The brat was about a decade too young to be smiling at him like that  
"Sir, we'll be starting after lunch right?"  
Looking to Petra, Levi gave a curt nod  
"Yeah. Hanji's the one leading this show, we're just here to making sure things don't get out of hand"  
"Do you think they will?"  
"Petra, we're here to protect Hanji..."  
Biting hard on his tongue Olou's sentence was cut short, the man earning a groan from Eld  
"Haven't we told you to stop copying Captain Levi"  
"I'm not copying him. This is how I've always been"  
Levi ignored the fact that Olou had been copying him more and more of late. If he called the man out, it would only end with an awkward situation he didn't really want to deal with. Casting a look back to Eren, Levi kept his tone even  
"Eren, nothing's going to happen. Is it?"  
"N-No sir!"  
The way the teen squeaked out his reply had Levi struggling to hold back a laugh. It was like Eren had been caught red-handed scheming. Yet it was nothing more than the boy's voice cracking from puberty.

*  
"Ok Eren, I want you to try and change for me. We're aiming for Lycan this time"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Eren nodded quickly as he bit down hard on his bottom lip. His stomach was rolling so violently it was all he could do to stop from collapsing from exhaustion. He'd shifted into a wolf three times already, but despite his determination, he couldn't shift into a Lycan. His lack of progress left him confused. He could feel that side of him, he could feel it clawing to come out, yet, he just couldn't make it happen. Biting hard on his hand, he had no idea how he knew this was what he was supposed to do, but shit... if he didn't shift soon...

Letting out a howl, Eren's form expanded rapidly, before instantly dropping away. Finally collapsing, he hung his head in shame  
"Eren!"  
Rushing to his side, Hanji wrapped an arm around his shoulder  
"Here, let me see"  
Looking towards the woman, he felt her shoving something against his face  
"That's enough for today"  
"Levi..."  
"Hanji, he's exhausted and his nose is pissing blood. If he's dead, he's no use to us"  
Hanji looked at him, Eren blinked  
"I can try again"  
"No, you probably can't smell it, but your scent is pouring off of you. In addition to the blood nose, you also feel feverish"  
"But I..."  
"If you feel better, we can try again tonight. But Levi's right. You've definitely need to take a break. Let me help you back to your tent"  
Feeling rather pathetic, Eren let Hanji pull him from the grass, and while staggering over to the tent he kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see Levi's squad, or the way their hands were on their weapons, or any looks of disgust that might be cast his way. He felt like a failure. He'd been so cock-sure about everything, but if he couldn't shift into a Lycan and make the most of his abilities then he had no use. Allowing Hanji to help him down, the woman smiled softly  
"At least I got to see that gorgeous wolf form of yours"  
"I'd hardly call it gorgeous"  
"Pretty? Cute?"  
"Annoying? Abomination?"  
Hanji's smile fell at his rebuttal  
"Eren, is that why you're not shifting properly?"  
Frowning at Hanji's words, his head hurt too much to put real thought into her question  
"I'm sorry"  
Brushing his hair back, Hanji pressed a small kiss to his forehead  
"Get some sleep. I'll check on you later"  
"Thanks, Hanji"

When Eren woke, the world outside the tent was silent. Crawling out carefully, Eren scratched at his itchy arms. His whole body was itching, and his wolf side wanted to break free  
"'bout time you woke up. I told Hanji to let you sleep, but I didn't think you'd be out so long"  
Looking to the fire, he found Levi sitting between him and it  
"Sorry sir"  
"You need to eat, then sleep. Hanji wants to start nice and early tomorrow"  
So Levi had told her not to worry about tonight's tests? That made no sense. He was supposed to be giving it his all, not being treated like he was special. Crawling the rest of the way over, Eren took the bowl Levi offered him  
"Go on. It's safe to eat"  
Eren blinked as he shook his head  
"I wasn't thinking that"  
"You should. You need to be more conscious of your surroundings. Just because you're safe with us, doesn't mean you'll always be safe"  
"Sorry, sir. I'll do better"  
Levi let out a long breath, which Eren didn't know how to take. Instead of fumbling out something, he went about slowly picking at his dinner.

"Eren, about today..."  
"I'm sorry sir. I don't know why I couldn't shift. I know I'm here just as a specimen, but I really do want to be of use"  
"That's not what I was getting at. What I was going to say is that I saw your fear. I saw the way you looked at everyone. We aren't here to kill you"  
"No offence, but that's exactly why you're here. You don't need to lie"  
Scratching at his arm, the itching feeling had only grown as he'd eaten. Looking up to the sky, his eyes sought out the moon. It wasn't quite full, but nearly. So that's why Hanji has arranged this... and that was why he felt his wolf side more keenly  
"Stop scratching, you're bleeding"  
Looking back down, Eren looked at his bloody nails. He needed to shift and run. That's what his instincts were screaming at him...  
"Sir. Would it be alright if I were to take a walk?"  
Levi's reply was a small eternity. The cracking of the wood of the fire was accompanied by the sound of cicadas. Sitting there and waiting, it felt like he and Levi were the only two people in the whole world  
"You want to take a walk?"  
"Yes, sir... it's just... it's nearly the full moon and my wolf side..."  
"Your wolf side is itching to get out"  
Nodding slowly, he felt like he'd given Levi more than enough reason to kill him where he sat  
"I'm sorry sir"  
"Is that why you're scratching?"  
"Oh. Um. Yes"  
He hadn't expected Levi to put two and two together so fast, but then again, he was just a shitty brat  
"I can't have you injuring yourself because of something you can't control. If you need to run, run within distance of the fire and don't spook the horses"  
Eren's head shot up  
"Really?"  
"Yes. It's better than having a pent-up wolf on our hands, and you might actually be able to do your damn job"  
Oh... right... why was it that everything Levi said or thought of him affected him way more than it should. He didn't know a whole lot, but what he was starting to feel for the man bordered on dependency. Something that was completely unacceptable. He needed to think less about his Captain, and more about his commanding officer. Erwin has hinted at something, but the man was playing his cards close to his chest and he wasn't about to give him any answers until they returned from these tests. To save himself from further embarrassment, Eren let his animalistic instincts take over, his form changing into that of his wolf side. Resisting the urge to howl, Eren nodded his head quickly before taking off running. 

*  
"You've gotten softer in your old age. Or maybe you just have a thing for him?"  
Groaning at Hanji's words, Levi turned to watch her climb out her tent  
"Neither. His blood was making me hungry"  
"I'm sure if you asked him..."  
"Don't even joke about that. He's a kid. He didn't even realise you were awake, or that this all played out how you expected"  
"Of course he didn't. He wasn't supposed to, and you played your part perfectly"  
Coming to sit beside him, Hanji grabbed a stray stick and poked at the fire  
"I still think he's scared"  
"Probably. He knows he'll die if he can't produce results"  
"And he can't produce results when he thinks he'll stuff up"  
Levi sighed to himself. He didn't need Hanji harping on about this again  
"He really does seem smitten by you"  
"Well, he needs to stop. I'm not his mum. I'm not going to hold his hand"  
"No, but you are going to be his partner"  
"If he keeps this up, he's just going to be dead weight"  
"You know, you could think of other uses for him"  
"What? Like a sniffer dog? Put a collar on him, and lead him around like a pet?"  
Hanji glared at him  
"That's not what I mean at all. If I could find a way to send him off to live a quiet life, I would"  
"Sounds to me like you have feelings for him"  
Rolling her eyes, Hanji nudged him with her elbow  
"It's not that. He has no one right now. He needs a friend and someone to love him"  
Love. Levi couldn't even remember what love felt like. If Eren was looking for love, Hanji was about the best the boy was going to get  
"Just. I think maybe tomorrow, only you should be carrying blades, or even a gun if you prefer"  
"I can't ask everyone to stand around unarmed"  
"Then let them train, just not near Eren"  
Their conversation was interrupted by a long howl. The shitty brat really was giving into his other side completely  
"See, doesn't he sound happy?"  
"If you say so. Now, if you're done with the lecturer, you should go back to bed"  
"Awww, don't you want to stay up and tell ghost stories?"  
"Hanji, you're looking at a vampire. I doubt I'm going to find any of your stories scarier than looking at that face of yours"  
Throwing her head back, Hanji let out a loud laugh  
"That's a good one. Right. Fine. Wake me up when the sun comes up, or if you get hungry"  
Ignoring the fact that he already was slightly hungry, Levi watched as Hanji returned to her tent. The woman was a menace, though she really seemed to have settled into a somewhat maternal role when it came to Eren. Eren no doubt wouldn't be too impressed if he realised just how much special treatment he was getting thanks to the woman. Hearing Eren howl again, Levi shook his head. The brat really was just a kid. He didn't belong on the battlefield.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the second half the chapter... you'll probably see why it didn't quiet fit the rest of it

Creeping back into camp as the sun was rising, Eren felt almost giddy. He'd never felt so free as he had last night, and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face  
"Someone seems to be feeling better"  
Jumping at Levi's words, Eren nodded  
"Yes. Thank you, sir"  
"Think we'll actually get some work done today?"  
"Yeah... I mean yes. I know I shouldn't be saying it, but last night was the best I've felt in a long time"  
"You're right. You shouldn't be saying that"  
Walking past Levi, Eren moved over to the cart  
"What are you doing now?"  
"I thought I might help make breakfast..."  
"You're not touching any food while you're that filthy"  
"Leave him alone Levi. Eren just wants to help"  
Smiling happily, Hanji climbed out her tent  
"Eren, you look much better this morning. Feeling better?"  
"Yeah. I'm sorry about yesterday"  
"It's fine. Anyway, did you say breakfast?"  
"I did, but Captain Levi says I'm dirty"  
Hanji wrinkled her face  
"You kind of are..."  
Looking down, Eren realised he was covered with dirt and grass from last night  
"Oh. Right... there's a stream near here, should I go clean up?"  
"There's a stream?"  
Hanji seemed genuinely surprised  
"Yeah. I found it..."  
Clamping his mouth shut, he wondered if he'd said too much  
"It's fine. She knows you went out last night. Hanji, go with him, and make sure he doesn't get himself into too much trouble"  
He didn't need a babysitter, but if it was a choice between Levi and Hanji, he definitely preferred Hanji.

Sticking close to him, Hanji patiently followed him through the woods to the small stream he'd found. The place was so much bigger now he could see it properly. To the left was a small rocky outcrop, and to the right, the stream pooled  
"Nice find. I had no idea this was here"  
"I could smell the water last night. Captain Levi told me not to venture too far, but I guess I got a bit carried away"  
Hanji snorted  
"Just a little. Still, it's handy to know. Go ahead and strip off, I'll wash your clothes while you clean up"  
Eren's face burnt at her words  
"Really now Eren, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I've seen it all, but if you're that self-conscious, you should just go in as a wolf"  
Turning his back her, Eren stripped quickly. She was right. He could just shift, and that was exactly what he did. Letting himself assume his wolf form, he padded across the rocky shore and into the freezing water. He should have done this last night, then Levi wouldn't have been mad at him for being dirty. 

"Eren! It's time to go!"  
Doggy paddling back towards the shore, Eren felt the hairs on the back his neck prickle. He didn't know why, but suddenly his heart was racing. Rushing towards Hanji, the woman was completely oblivious to the danger she was in, and was instead whooping and calling out to him as she thought it was all a joke. Emerging from the water, Eren leapt on her, knocking the confused woman back as a howl rang out. The first howl was followed by another, and pain burst through his side. Beneath him, Hanji was trying to shove him off, but with wild wolves around them, Eren wasn't prepared to let Hanji be hurt. She seemed to be his only friend at the moment, and furthermore, she was a fellow soldier. Feeling the anger boiling up inside of him, he snarled as pushed him up, not realising he was shifting. Acting under the influence of pure adrenaline, Eren rose to his full height and snarled down at the pack of wolves around them. The largest of the pack, presumably the alpha, launched itself towards it him. Catching the wolf with relative ease, Eren threw the beast mid-air, snarling at fell with a sickening crack. The sound was enough to pull him back, and immediately he felt thoroughly disgusted at harming the alpha wolf. They'd trespassed into their territory. Even if it wasn't intentional. Watching the sad alpha pick itself up, it let out a sad howl before beginning to limp away. Shifting back, Eren fell in a heap as warm tears filled his eyes  
"Eren?"  
Shaking his head, he didn't want Hanji's sympathy or pity  
"Thank you. I didn't even notice them"  
"Don't thank me! Don't!"  
Covering his face, Eren was completely disgusted with himself  
"Eren..."  
"Hanji don't! Don't! I hurt him! I'm a monster!"  
Crossing over to him, Hanji wrapped her arms around him  
"You're not a monster. You're human"  
"I..."  
"No. Eren, if you were really a monster, you wouldn't feel so bad"  
"But I hurt him"  
"He'll be fine. He's a big and strong wolf"  
Sniffling sadly, Eren really couldn't believe that  
"And you know, you finally shifted into a Lycan... that's something"  
"I... I don't know how... I just... I was so angry"  
"Well that's something..."

"Are you two alright?"  
Having not noticed they had company, Eren growled at the unexpected voice  
"It's ok Eren. It's Petra"  
"Hanji?"  
"We're fine Petra. Did Levi send you?"  
"He said you two were taking too long"  
Pulling back, Hanji winked at him  
"Eren just saved me. We were attacked by a pack of wolves"  
Petra let out a gasp, the woman didn't even hesitate as she reached for her gun  
"Are they still around?"  
"No, Eren got hurt, but he saved me. If you give us a moment, we'll walk back with you"  
Pulling on his damp clothes, Eren's shirt rushed to turn red. He'd completely forgotten he'd been bitten while protecting Hanji, and though the wound had healed, the blood was still wet  
"Shit..."  
"Everything alright?"  
"My shirts ruined"  
Hanji looked back to him, before sighing  
"Man, I scrubbed that too. Will you be alright walking back?"  
"Yeah... but I don't think captain Levi will be too impressed"

*  
Levi smelt Eren long before he appeared with Hanji and Petra. Having heard howls from the direction Hanji and Eren had disappeared, he'd sent Petra to scout out what was happening. By the seems of it, Eren had managed to get himself in trouble again. Staggering into the camp, Eren's eyes were red from crying, the tears still fell silently. Something had obviously transpired, something bad enough to reduce Eren to tears. Kicking himself mentally for not being there to control the situation, Levi rose to his feet with the rest of his squad  
"Hanji, what happened?"  
"Eren just risked himself to save me. We were attacked by a pack of wild wolves"  
That explained the howling, but not why Eren was so upset  
"What exactly happened?"  
"Eren was cleaning off in the stream, and the next thing I knew he'd shifted and pinned me down. It wasn't until one of them went him that I realised what was happening"  
Great. They'd have to move camp. The last thing he needed was having his squad mauled in their sleep  
"Eren succeeded in shifting into his Lycan form, so I doubt they'll be back anytime soon"  
Casting a glance at each of his squad members, he found them all staring at Eren with unease in their eyes. He knew Hanji was probably over exaggerating Eren saving her in an effort to sway them into being more accepting of the teen, but it seemed to have the opposite effect  
"Good work Eren. Why don't you change and then have breakfast?"  
Eren nodded, the teen moving to pick up the last of the loaf of bread, before continuing and disappearing into their tent  
"Sir..."  
Standing a little straighter, Petra stared straight at him  
"What is it Petra?"  
"About Eren, sir... can we really rely on him? He's crying because he hurt a wolf. If he's seen sympathising with wolves, even wild ones, it won't go over well with the rest of the soldiers"  
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Levi nodded  
"Alright. This incident stays out of any official report. I'll deal with Eren personally"  
"Sir..."  
"That's all Petra"  
Petra opened her mouth as if to argue, but Hanji placed a hand on her shoulder  
"It's fine Petra"

Heading into the tent, Levi found Eren curled up on his bedroll. The teens form shaking visibly  
"Eren"  
"I'm sorry sir. Hanji was nearly killed because of me. I'll accept any punishment over it. Even death"  
Great. Just great  
"Eren. Why were you so upset?"  
"Petra told you"  
"She did. But I want to hear it from you"  
"I hurt an animal... I didn't even think. All it was doing was protecting its territory, but I was so mad when it went for Hanji. I think I killed it"  
So Eren was upset about killing an animal, not because it was a wolf. That was slightly relieving to hear  
"You did what you needed to get you and Hanji out of there"  
"I should have just taken a bath last night. Everyone hates me as it is. And now I'm some animal killing monster. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps I should have just died"  
"I can't tell you if you made the right choice, so look at it this way. Hanji is alive. No matter what you say, she's alive. Now finish your breakfast, and change that shirt of yours. Since you've shifted once today, you should be able to do it again"  
"Is that an order sir?"  
Levi raised an eyebrow at Eren's sulky tone, not impressed at all by it  
"No, but if I have to repeat myself, you'll know about it"

The remnants of breakfast were cleared up by the time Eren emerged from the tent. The teen walking straight over to Hanji  
"Hanji, what's the plan for today?"  
"We're going to see if we can trigger your Lycan side again. If you can't, I want to test your endurance while in wolf form"  
"I spent most of the night as a wolf... and I still feel fine"  
"That's great. Are you ready to get started?"  
Eren nodded quickly. Turning to look at him, Hanji grinned happily  
"Hear that Levi. It's time to get started"  
Looking back to his squad, Levi shook his head as the started gearing up  
"No weapons. Not today"  
"Sir?"  
"Petra, I'll take personal responsibility if anything happens. I want you all to practice your hand to hand combat"  
Gunther didn't say anything, he only cast a glance to Eld, who shrugged. Olou didn't look impressed, but Petra... He really needed to pull her aside. She seemed to be the one with the biggest chip on her shoulder when it came to Eren, that was the reason he'd sent her and not one of the others  
"Hanji, why don't you go ahead with Eren. I need to have a quick word with Petra"  
"Ok! Take your time!"  
Wrapping an arm around Eren's shoulder, Hanji began whispering enthusiastically to Eren as the pair move away.

Moving in the opposite direction, Levi made sure they wouldn't be overheard  
"Alright. Spit it out"  
"Sir?"  
"Drop the sir Petra. Tell me what's going on with you and Eren"  
Petra sighed  
"Sir... why exactly are we going through all of this for Eren?"  
"Because he's assigned to our squad"  
"So? I know he's under your command, but he's dangerous"  
"And I'm not? Petra, the best way to subdue a monster is with another one"  
Taking his hand, Petra shook her head  
"You're not a monster"  
"Petra, we both know I am"  
"I've never once seen you that way sir..."  
"Then why single out Eren? If or when he decides to betray us, I'll deal with him myself"  
"But you shouldn't have to! He's inexperienced..."  
"Just like we all were. Erwin has already said he will become my official partner"  
"That's not fair!"  
"Petra..."  
"No! It's not fair. We've all been right beside you for years! And he just walks in and..."  
Letting out a frustrated sob, Petra looked to her feet  
"I've been by your side... why couldn't it have been me?"  
"Petra, I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly"  
"I'm saying I love you, sir. I love you, but all you care about is Eren, and he obviously likes you too"  
"Petra, you're wrong. I care about Eren because he's a new recruit"  
"And me?"  
He hadn't been oblivious to Petra's feelings, but he'd hoped if he'd ignored them, she'd get over it. Apparently not  
"I'm sorry Petra"

Walking away from Petra, he knew he'd only hurt her more if he tried to comfort her right now. This trip had been one shitfest after another.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been 2 weeks since they'd returned from their little trip, and 6 weeks in total since Eren had first arrived at the doors of the Survey Corps castle. He didn't know how 6 weeks had managed to pass so slowly, yet also in the blink of an eye. Standing in front of Erwin, he didn't know why he'd been summoned to the man's office... alone  
"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here?"  
Eren wondered for a moment if he'd voiced his thoughts out loud, but if he had, surely Erwin wouldn't have posed the question  
"Yes sir"  
"After reading Hanji's reports, and taking into consideration Levi's statement, I've decided to assign you as Levi's partner officially"  
Eren couldn't hide his shock, in fact, he was sure he was gaping  
"Levi is the best prepared to deal with you if you were to lose control. I'm sure you know we don't just perform missions outside the walls. We also look into government requests, over things people might deem not quite natural"  
"Y-yes sir"  
"Well that makes this easier..."  
Pulling a file from a small pile on his desk, Erwin held it out towards him  
"We've had reports of werewolves attacking small villages to the south. You and Levi will be heading out to investigate"  
"On our own sir?"  
"Yes... unless you have some objection?"  
"No. None sir... but are you sure I'm the right person for this?"  
"You're an unknown variable that no one is quite sure what to do with..."  
"That's not what I meant sir. I mean, wouldn't know of Levi's squad members be better?"  
"Are you admitting you're not up to it"  
Saluting Erwin, Eren all but shouted  
"No sir!"  
"Good. Levi's already making preparations. Any expenses will require a receipt for reimbursement"  
"Oh... I don't have any money sir"  
"I know. Levi has your wages"  
Did he get wages? Hell. He didn't even know what to buy...  
"Eren, I'm expecting big things from you. Prove me right"  
"Yes, sir!"

Leaving Erwin's office, Eren was still kind of in a state of shock. He'd been allowed to sleep in his cell without chains since their return, but now he was going to be heading out with Levi... he wasn't ready for this... wandering down to Hanji's lab, he'd arrived there before he even realised that it was his destination. Finding Hanji examining something under her microscope, Eren moved to sit in the free chair across from her  
"Everything alright?"  
"I... I don't know"  
Snorting lightly, Hanji looked up him  
"What's going on?"  
"Erwin just assigned me as Levi's partner"  
Hanji let out a long "ah", before continuing  
"So he finally did it"  
"Wait. You knew he was going to?"  
"Yep. He told Levi weeks ago. I guess he was letting you get accustomed to being here"  
Oh... of course, he'd be the last to know  
"Levi and I are being sent out on a mission. Hanji. Levi hates me... what if I mess this up?"  
"Levi doesn't hate you... and I'm sure Erwin wouldn't send you out if it was too dangerous"  
"We're being sent to investigate wolf attacks to villages down south... what if I can't shift and someone gets hurt?"  
Hanji sighed sympathetically  
"Eren, all you need is to follow Levi's lead. He's the superior officer here, and if anything goes wrong, he'll know what to do. Besides, you trained your arse off at the academy. Things will be fine"  
"I wish I could be as positive as you are"  
"It'll be fine. Now, you better go pack"  
He had no idea what to pack, or pack into... he didn't have all his things from the academy...  
"Um... what do I pack? I don't have much of anything..."  
"Fair point. Why don't you go check in with Levi then? He'll probably try to make you pack 5 bars of soap, or he might have just packed for you. Either way, you're not going to find out while hiding here"  
Looking back down to what she was examining, Eren took that to mean the conversation was over  
"Right. Thanks, Hanji"  
Rising, he slowly walked from the woman's office. With all the thoughts in his head, he began to panic. He couldn't remember how to be himself...

*  
The shitty brat was late. Erwin had told him as he'd fed, that he and Eren would be leaving that afternoon, once Erwin had filled Eren in on the details... so where the hell had the kid got to? Eyeing the backpack he'd already organised for Eren, he resisted the urge to unpack it and repack it. It was only going to be messed up by the teen anyway. Sinking down on his bed, Levi sighed to himself. Normally a rookie like Eren wouldn't be sent after werewolves so soon, but Erwin had insisted Eren was up to the task.

It was another half hour before Eren finally deigned him with his presence. The teen knocking on his door, before sticking his head in  
"Sir?"  
"What are you doing out there? Get in here, we need to leave soon"  
"Sorry, sir... Commander Erwin didn't tell me I should come straight here..."  
Shitty eyebrows, no, he couldn't blame it all on Erwin. Eren should have used his own brain to figure out to come here. Timidly entering Levi's room, Eren seemed lost in the space  
"That pack is yours. If you lose anything, I'm not replacing it"  
"Oh. No sir. I wouldn't expect you too"  
"You won't need all your wages, I've locked half away in my desk. You can have them when we return"  
"I don't know what I'd buy anyway..."  
Despite his timidity, Eren was talking to him more like a friend than a subordinate... that was something  
"Soap for one thing"  
Eren nodded immediately  
"Yeah. I suppose Mikasa will tell me what I should get"  
Oh. Eren's little girlfriend. He'd forgotten about the girl, if he was being completely honest  
"Just don't let it go to your head"  
"I won't sir... Sir, do I still call you sir?"  
"Captain Levi, sir, it's fine"  
"I'll just call you sir then"  
Then why were they even talking about it? God. He was getting a headache already  
"Eren, this isn't going to work if you're constantly asking me questions. Especially stupid questions like that"  
Eren visibly flinched away from him, leaving Levi wondering what was wrong with what he'd said. Rising from his bed, he gathered up his backpack  
"The horses have already been taken care of, it's time to go"

*  
Riding in silence Levi wondered if he should perhaps try and talk to Eren, yet every time he opened his mouth nothing came out. Perhaps it was for the best? He wasn't the greatest at small talk, and he had no idea what teenagers liked these days. Looking to Eren, he found the teens eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead of them, yet the teen also had a kind of happy look on his face. No doubt being cramped inside the castle walls had been getting to him... no... maybe silence was better after all.

Continuing through the first two towns they passed, they didn't stop until they reached the third late in the afternoon. They still had two solid days riding, and the last thing Levi wanted was Eren complaining about being saddle sore. Slowly walking through the town, Levi found the local inn easy enough. It was the kind of town built on the main road, with everything in straight lines either side. Coming to a stop outside, Levi slid from his saddle while Eren stared down at him  
"We'll spend the night here, and continue fresh in the morning"  
Nodding his silent agreement, Eren slid from his own saddle completely gracelessly, the teen falling in a heap at the moment his feet hit the ground. Raising an eyebrow at the sight, Eren's face reddened  
"Sorry sir... my foot fell asleep"  
How Eren had managed that he had no idea, but instead of replying Levi went about undoing the buckles and retrieving his backpack and bedroll from the saddle. Even if he didn't need his bedroll, there was no way he was leaving it for someone to come along steal. Waiting the few moments for Eren to finally catch up and copy him, Levi cast a look around. Even though the hour wasn't exactly late, the street was mostly empty. He could only hope that meant it would be a trouble free night.

Having secured a room for the night and paid for both dinner and two hot baths, Levi let Eren choose a seat. Perhaps still paranoid about his wolf side, Eren opted for a table in the corner closest to the stairs leading up to the rooms. Sitting across from the teen, he stared at Eren until the boy shifted uncomfortably  
"Sir... is something wrong?"  
"No. Also, while we're here, you're to call me Levi. That's the whole point of us being dressed casually. We aren't going to blend in if you're sitting there with that constipated look on your face"  
Eren let out a long breath  
"I'm sorry si-Levi... I have no idea what I'm supposed to do"  
"You're supposed to act like any other traveller would. If anyone asks, you're heading to work on my families farm. I am your employee, that will cover for any time you slip up and say sir"  
"Will that really work?"  
"I haven't had much to do with the south, so it should be fine. It's a common lie we use"  
"You and Petra?"  
Eren was definitely trying to ask if something was there... but Levi was irked that he'd gone straight to Petra  
"No, usually she and I are married"  
Levi had expected Eren to be shocked or to stutter out something stupid, instead, the teen hummed lightly before replying  
"I can see that. She's definitely into you... I thought you two were a couple, to begin with"  
"What gave you that idea?"  
"How much she seemed to hate me. It might sound self-centred but it felt like she was staking her claim on you and like she thought I was trying to win you over or something"  
Levi couldn't resist  
"You weren't?"  
Eren shook his head quickly, the teen raising his hands as if to tell Levi to stop or stay back  
"No! No... no sir. I mean, I respect you very much and you were my hero and I guess I want to be like you... but I don't like like you"  
The way Eren stutterer the words out... Levi couldn't help but laugh  
"S-sir?"  
"I needed that. No. Petra and I aren't together. She's a good subordinate, but that's where it ends. I have no interest in romance, or romantic entanglements"  
Lowering his hands, Eren looked down to lap. Before Levi could ask what Eren was now thinking, their dinner was brought over to them. As they both began to eat, the moment passed and Levi let it lie. At least he knew for sure that Eren wasn't interested in him, even if he was the kid's hero. He definitely wasn't hero material.

*  
Over the next two days, Eren attempted to loosen up. Though Levi didn't exactly make it easy. They hadn't stopped at any of the villages they'd passed through since the first night. As far as Eren was concerned, he was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong. They'd eaten dinner, had baths and then slept through until the morning.

Slowing down to walk, Levi turned to look at him  
"We'll make camp out here. Tonight we'll scout out the area"  
"Here?"  
"Not right here on the road. See those trees, we'll make camp there and if anything happens that will also be our rendezvous point"  
"Do you think something's going to happen?"  
"I don't know. We are acting on the information we've been given. That doesn't mean it's reliable or still relevant. Things could have worsened since the initial report. It's better to air on the side of caution"  
Despite the fact Levi always seemed so cool and collected, Eren blinked in shock at just how human Levi sounded. Of course Levi was human... and of course, the man was always three steps ahead of him, yet hearing Levi wanting to air on the side of caution struck him as odd. Was Levi like this with the rest of his squad? Or was it because he was rookie? He didn't want the man treating him any different to how he'd treat someone like Petra, his pride wouldn't stand for it and his wolf side seemed slightly annoyed. He knew he was making mountains out of molehills, and letting his own insecurities build this into something it probably wasn't  
"Eren?"  
"Oh. Yes sir... sorry, I was just lost in thought"  
"Well don't think too hard. I don't want to clean brain matter from my clothes"  
Did Levi just... did he just make a joke? Swallowing down his laughter, he couldn't stop the smile that came to his lips. He felt like he'd just seen a small glimpse of the real Levi  
"I won't sir. Let's get set up before the sun sets"


	7. Chapter 7

With Eren in his wolf form, Levi had sent him on ahead to sniff out any potential trouble... literally. Leaving his captain waiting back at the trees, Eren was now approaching the outskirts of the first village they'd be investing. Though the hour was late, quite a few houses still had lamps burning, so he gave those ones a wide birth. If they were paranoid about wolf attacks, the last thing he needed was them spotting him in his wolf form. Sniffing the moist grass, he'd picked up some kind of scent, but he honestly couldn't say what it was off the top of his head. It was the kind of scent he knew he knew, but not how he knew it, and despite this just being a preliminary recon, he wanted to prove to Levi that he could do his job properly.

Following the scent past the main grouping of houses, Eren found himself moving further and further away as the scent intensified. Given how far he'd wandered, he was beginning to wonder if there would be anything at the end of the trail. Looking up, he found himself nearing the edge of the forest that ran around the left side of the village in a wide semi-circle... shit. Casting a glance around, he plunged into the forest.

Losing the smell, Eren backtracked his steps, only to find himself growing more and more confused. Each tree looked the same, and somehow all the forest smells has melded into one strong earthy scent. Groaning at himself, he knew this wasn't the time to be enjoying the way his whole body seemed to tingle and respond to it, he was hopelessly lost and needed to find his way out before the sun rose and he was forced to explain what the hell he was doing. Right. He could do this... he just had to keep tracing his paw prints back.

He was going around in circles now. He had to be and if anyone was watching, they'd surely think he was an incompetent fool. Shivering despite his thick coat, Eren was half tempted to throw himself on the ground and give up until morning, only he didn't. Catching the glow of something orange moving, Eren stopped his movements. Keeping it in his sights, he padded forward as silently as he could, silently hoping he'd be lead out of the stupid forest.

*  
Rather than being lead out the forest, Eren was lead deeper. There was definitely no way he was getting back to Levi before sunrise now. Watching as the two people carrying the light disappeared inside a storage shed of some sort, he was almost certain they had to be up to no good. Seriously. It was the kind of time that normal people would still be sleeping, and whatever was stored in there could wait until a more civilised hour. Waiting a few long moments, Eren shifted back into his human form and crept over to the door the two figures had neglected to close  
"... tonight we go after the inn again"  
"We've already gone after them twice..."  
"So? They refuse to listen..."  
"So what? We scare them..."  
"Just shut up and get changed"  
The second man replied with a low grumble, and Eren nearly fell on his arse trying to hear what was being said now that the first man's voice had dropped to a whisper. He had no idea what was going on, and the sound of his racing heart filled his ears. They were here to investigate werewolves, but now he'd stumbled onto something else. Jumping as a solid grating noise broke his thoughts, he ducked down and crawled around the corner of the shed, just in time to see a large werewolf leave, followed by the man who'd been carrying the torch. For a moment he was torn. No werewolf that he'd met kept his mind when there was a fresh meal human feast in front of them... but there it was... maybe there was some kind of clue in the shed... but if he didn't follow the pair back out the forest, he'd remain lost... watching the light bob and begin to disappear into the trees, Eren shifted back and threw himself after it. Getting out of the forest was all he could do for now. He'd tell Levi what he saw and heard, and hopefully, his captain would know what to do next, because he honestly had no idea.

*  
Watching the sunrise, Levi grumbled to himself. Eren was late. Well and truly late. The teen was supposed to be sniffing out trouble, but knowing Eren, he'd probably gone and got himself in trouble instead. Climbing back down from the tree he'd spent the better part of the night occupying, Levi set about finding out one of the vials Hanji had packed for him. Given his teeth ached whenever Eren was close, Hanji had filled a few vials with her blood so that he could control his hunger in the field. It wasn't as nice as a fresh meal, but it was heaven compared to starving. Popping the lid of the vial, he downed the contents with a grimace. It definitely wasn't enough.

With his breakfast out the way, Levi went about the rest of his morning routine. His skin felt revolting, but after Eren's nightmare and the term seemingly forgetting it in the morning, he hadn't wanted to risk spending another night in an inn during their travels. So now he had to make do with using some of the extra water he carried to wipe himself down. With all her expertise, surely Hanji could design some kind of portable shower for field use, but then again, if it didn't involve werewolves... well, she could barely stay focused.

"Levi!"  
Eren's voice had him scowling. Even if they were the only ones in the immediate vicinity, it didn't mean the teen had to yell. Turning to face Eren, he openly glared at his partner  
"Where the hell have you been?"  
Eren looked like he'd had quite the adventure. Twigs and leaves were still stuck in the kid's hands, and the boy stank like wet dirt  
"Sorry. I was in the forest on the other side of the village and there was this shed and these two men and..."  
Pinching the bridge of his nose Levi closed his eyes before he let out a long breath  
"Eren. Get dressed, and then explain everything slowly"  
"Oh! Right. Sorry, sir... it's just, you'll never believe what I saw"  
"And I'm sure it's fascinating, but seeing you naked first thing in the morning isn't how I like to start my day"  
Seeing Eren naked, filled Levi with thoughts of how nice the teen's blood would taste. How fresh and warm it would be, and how nice Eren would look as he drained him dry. Realising this, he kicked himself for only downing one vial. His hunger really was ridiculous  
"Sorry, sir. I'll get dressed right now"  
"Good"

With Eren finally dressed, they were both sitting on their bedrolls as Eren scoffed down his small breakfast. The kid had tried talking and eating, which had led to him choking and Levi mentally praying for strength. Whatever Eren had seen obviously had him excited, but it was way too early for that kind of enthusiasm, especially when the kid hadn't sleep. When Eren crashed from his high, his partner was going to be useless. Watching him licking the last of the butter from his palm, Levi cringed mentally. He didn't want to think about how dirty Eren's hands were. Not when just looking at him made him want to drown the kid in a bath  
"So, like I was saying. I found this smell and I totally couldn't figure it out at first, so I followed it all the way over to the forest bit on the other side of the village and then I saw this light. There were these two men, except one of them wasn't. They walked into this storage shed, but then one of them came out looking like a werewolf. He didn't try to kill the guy he was with... it was like they were working together. I didn't get to look in the shed, but I followed them out the forest. They went straight into town and started attacking the doors and stuff. It's weird right! They were talking about scaring the people who owned the inn, even though they'd already attacked them..."  
Levi was silently impressed that Eren managed to say all that without pausing for breath. Watching the teen stare at him, it was like the boy was waiting for some kind of reward... when all he'd done was raise more questions...  
"So you found a shed?"  
"Yes, but didn't you hear me. Two guys came out, and then one became like a wolf. He was talking and everything..."  
"And you're sure he was a werewolf?"  
"He looked like one"  
"So when they got to the village..."  
"The werewolf attacked the doors. He scratched them up"  
"And that was all? He didn't attack anyone? Or kill anyone?"  
"Not that I saw"  
"So you didn't get any useful information about why we're really here"  
Eren's face fell for a moment, the teen looking to his lap and then back up  
"Maybe they're connected? Like what if that guy's like me?"  
Groaning at Eren's theory, Levi shook his head  
"Don't go jumping to conclusions like that. It's the worst thing you can do. As soon as you start drawing your own conclusions without solid evidence, your judgement becomes clouded"  
Eren finally deflated. The teen slowly rising as he did  
"I'm sorry sir..."  
"I know you want to prove yourself, but things like that take time. Now. You said the sheds on the other side of the village. Can we get there without being seen?"  
"Yes sir... it loops around... or at least it looks like it does"  
"Do you think you can find this shed again?"  
"Maybe. It should be easier to navigate now that the suns up"  
"Right. We'll check your shed first. Once we make contact, they're likely to try and destroy any evidence if they are up to no good. It's a good thing you didn't just go barging in there"  
Eren blushed slightly, though Levi had no idea why. He also couldn't work out how all this had kept Eren busy for hours, and felt like there was something the teen wasn't telling him... but seeing Eren had blurted out everything he'd seen, Levi let it slide. If it was relevant to the case, than the teen would have told him.

*  
Walking through the forest, Levi wasn't surprised when Eren turned back into a wolf. The teen was definitely more comfortable that way, and with Eren, in that form, he didn't have to worry about talking to the teen. Leaving Eren to lead the way, Levi tried to make sense of what the boy had said. A werewolf wouldn't "work" with or for a human, yet he severely doubted it was a Lycan like Eren was. Or more like he just couldn't comprehend the possibility of it. Eren was a freak of nature as far a the government was concerned, and those who'd lodge the initial report would have made mention if they thought a Lycan was involved. No. Something else definitely had to be going on here, yet he didn't have enough information to make anything more than mere speculation.

Shifting back, Eren cast a glance around his surroundings  
"What is it?"  
"I can smell wolves... but the scents old"  
"Wolves?"  
"Yeah. Like normal wolves, but it's odd. I'm sure I didn't smell them last night"  
"You said you smelt something..."  
"I know. I still don't know what it was, but I feel like I should. We've reached the other side of the village now, so now we just have to find the tracks from last night"  
"I thought you knew where we were going?"  
Eren shuffled slightly  
"I might have... sort of... got a little directionally misplaced last night"  
Biting down an annoyed sigh, at least now he knew why Eren took forever to come back  
"So you don't know"  
"I'm not saying that. I'm sure I can pick up their scents now I know them"  
"Then keep moving. We're already wasting time coming out here as it is"  
Frowning at him, Eren crossed his arms  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Really? Eren wanted to what? Call him out on this?  
"It means we don't know for sure this is connected"  
"I'm sure it's connected"  
"Eren..."  
"No! I know what I saw!"  
"I'm sure you know what you think you saw"  
"So what? You're saying I made this up?"  
"No, I'm saying you're jumping to conclusions again and we have no solid proof"  
"Look I know you hate being stuck me, but I'm trying to do my job here. You told me to go scout out what I could and I told you what I found! If you didn't believe me, why did you tell me to lead the way!"  
Eren's frown shifted to a glare, leaving Levi raising an eyebrow  
"Because I thought you knew where we were going"  
"No, you just wanted to see me fail! That's what you all want, isn't it? To see the monster fail and end up dead. Forget it"  
Shifting back into a wolf, Eren took off running. Were all teenagers this moody, or just Eren?

*  
Quietly seething with anger, Eren didn't bother waiting for Levi as he began to run. He knew what he'd seen, and even if Levi didn't believe him, he wasn't about to start doubting himself when he was so certain that that wolf had something to do with why they were here. He could understand Levi telling him to keep an open mind about the case, but come on. Wolf attacks and a guy who reappeared as a wolf. They had to be connected. It wasn't just in his head like Levi seemed to think. He'd prove it to his partner and make Levi see that he was right.

Running through the forest, he eventually came across human footprints. Given they smelt similar to those from the previous night, he was quietly proud of himself as he laid down beside them. These would lead to all the proof Levi needed  
"Why did you stop?"  
Jumping up, Eren was shocked to find Levi hadn't been that far behind him. He knew the man was fast, but... then he realised. Levi had his manoeuvre gear on... something he still hadn't been reissued. No wonder his captain could catch up with relative ease  
"Footprints. Are these the right ones?"  
Nodding quickly, Eren shifted back as he did  
"It's the right smell"  
"Do they lead to the shed, or from the shed?"  
"From. I'm sure of it"  
"I'll take lead"  
Eren had expected Levi to use his manoeuvre gear again, but the man calmly began following the print in the direction they came from. Suppressing his feelings of triumph, Eren hastened to follow in Levi's steps.

With the sun shining down between the canopy of tall trees, it was a whole different world to what Eren had experienced the night before. He found that the walk to the shed felt like it was over before it really began. Not at all like when he'd been stalking through the bushes and following the light out of the forest. It might have also been because he'd entered the forest from a different angle this time. Whatever it was, Levi was probably finding him more and more incompetent by the second, as the shed came into clear view  
"This is it?"  
"Yep. This is the place"  
"Alright. I'll go first, you wait and if nothing happens, follow"  
"Shouldn't I go first?"  
Levi looked at him like he was insane  
"I mean. If I get shot or whatever it doesn't really matter. My life isn't as important as yours"  
"Is that your way of saying you want to die?"  
"N-no! But sir, you are more important"  
"Eren, after all the trouble you put us through, there's no way I'm letting you just die. You need to place some faith in others. Now. I'm going first"  
Moving to the tree line, Eren nodded once he was in position. Watching Levi slowly open the door, he was kind of disappointed the man didn't just kick it down  
"It's clear!"

Walking into the shed, Eren gagged on the smell filling the small space. It was plain and disappointingly ordinary  
"Eren..."  
"I swear this is it sir"  
Slipping past his captain, he sniffed deeply, despite the stink  
"It's stronger here"  
"Move"  
"Wha-"  
Pulled the rug out from under his feet, Eren jumped back before he fell and looked down at the door Levi had revealed  
"Ha! I knew it!"  
"Let's try not to get too cocky"  
"Right. Sorry..."  
He couldn't help it. Grasping the solid handle of the door, Eren pulled it open and that same stink filled his senses so fast he threw up into his mouth. Not wanting to seem weak, Eren swallowed it down  
"I smell blood"  
Now that Levi mentioned it, there were definitely metal undertones to the scent  
"I'll go first. If there's a starving wolf..."  
This time Levi allowed him to. Lowering himself onto the ladder, it was a short climb down into the dark space.

"What do you see?"  
"It's safe!"  
Leaving the foot of the ladder, Eren moved into the middle of the small underground move. His wolf side didn't like the space at all, and it didn't take long to see why. Heaped in the far left corner were the corpses of wolves. All had been skinned and all were in various stages of decay. His inner wolf scratched at his mind, howling in pain for the slain animals on display. It was revolting  
"So that's what's going on?"  
Tearing his eyes off the pile, Eren looked to Levi  
"They skinned the wolves and made their own suit from the pelts. What you saw was a man in a wolf suit"  
Before he could ask what made Levi so sure, his partner made his way over to the table in the far left corner. Pulling the bundle from it, Levi held the suit up  
"See. With this, it would be easy to incite fear"  
"So what? They're dressing as a Lycan to scare people. But what do they get out of it?"  
"I don't know. Feel like putting on a little performance?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean let's see how they react to a real wolf..."  
Something in Eren's stomach told him he probably wasn't going to love this.

*  
With Levi waiting at the edge of the forest, Eren was in his normal wolf form. He'd been right about not loving Levi's plan. Despite what the man had said about not dying so easily, he was now about to run right into enemy territory... and probably get shot for his trouble. Levi had reasoned that the ones who'd hunted the original wolves to make the suit would probably be the ones to deal with any and all wolf trouble in the area... which meant hopefully they'd "deal" with him. Running across the fields between the village and the forest, Eren didn't try to hide his presence as he made to loop around the village.

He managed to make it to the other side of the village before finally being spotted... by a kid. Screaming out "wolf!", the boy's cries were completely ignored. So far this wasn't as great of a success as he'd hoped. Personally, he didn't want to "attack" anyone, but if they didn't start paying attention to him soon, he was going to have to.

Reaching the main road, he slowed his place and padded along the streets. Almost every door carried heavy nail scratches across it, and there was little wonder why people had been terrified. Having a "werewolf" visit them night after night, it was amazing they'd even stay in a town like this. Though they probably had nowhere to go anyway. Eyeing the butcher's shop, he figured that would be the best way to cause a little trouble and his pace turned back into a run.

Throwing himself into the store, he let out a long howl that seemed to startle the man behind the counter. Snarling and baring his fangs, Eren padded through the space  
"Wolf! Wolf!"  
Good. Finally. Leaping onto the counter, he grabbed the hunk of meat the man had been working on, before taking off running. Unlike the kids cries, the sound of the man yelling wolf had drawn the attention of more than a few villages. Within seconds the first gunshot rang out, which was quickly followed by another. Dodging the first two, he wasn't lucky enough to dodge the third, and yelp fell from him as his back legs gave out. Still, he bit down harder on the meet to quiet himself as he began to try and drag himself along. Needless to say, he didn't make it very far. A shot hit him in the stomach and the meat fell from his mouth  
"We got it!"  
"Stay back! It's not dead yet!"  
"It's on its last legs"  
Laying in a pathetic pile, Eren could feel himself healing and for that he was grateful. That wasn't to say it didn't hurt like a bitch. Snapping as a pair of feet came into his view, he was shot once again for his effort. This time in the side of the face and his whole world went black.

*  
Watching from the sidelines, things had pretty much gone as Levi had expected. It would have been easier to let Eren sniff out the two men from the previous night, but he was honestly curious as to how Eren would handle things. The teen hadn't even thought of sniffing them out, instead immediately going along with this shitty and somewhat stupid plan. With no werewolves in the immediate area, Levi was confident that he could kill anyone who posed a real risk to Eren's health. 

Gripping his blades, Levi watched as Eren's body was hefted off the road and moved out of view. Of course, they wouldn't be so stupid as to move Eren during the day, but two fat idiots did seem stupid enough to begin walking from the village. Leaving his position, Levi skirted around the edge of the forest until he was barely hidden by the trees. Watching and waiting, it didn't take long before the pair entered the forest  
"Yeah, but how are we going to get him?"  
"They'll let us have him. Did you see his pelt? He's just about big enough to make another suit from"  
"You want to make another?"  
"Of course. The elders will go along with it"  
"How do you know that for sure?"  
"Because I do. All you need to do is keep your mouth shut and play your part"  
So these two were just lackies. It figured. They probably had the intelligence of a teaspoon split between them. Leaving the pair to disappear into the trees, Levi straightened himself up. There was no point going after small fry when their boss would get away.

Walking into the village, it was easy enough to find where Eren had been taken. People spilt from what seemed to be the inn, all jostling to "catch a sight of the devil wolf". Using his small stature to his advantage, Levi slipped through the crowd and into the inn. Laying across the bar, Eren was so still that Levi's steps faltered  
"Look at this fierce beast! This beast that stalked at night! You do not need to live in fear, for the beast is dead!"  
Lifting one of Eren's paws, the man doing all the yelling let it fall from his hands, where it landed back on the bar with a solid thud. Shit. Eren didn't seem to be healing. The teen was missing his right ear, eye and cheek, the bone beneath visible. Maybe he couldn't survive a close attack? But werewolves could... and if Eren was a mutation of one, surely he'd survive  
"Let's stuff him!"  
"Cut it's head off!"  
"Burn him!"  
Perhaps because of his own beast, their comments got under his skin far too easily and his hands itched to draw his blades  
"Silence! That's enough!"

The whole room fell silent instantly, as a hunched over old man moved through the crowd  
"This is no ordinary wolf. We shall take its pelt, and bury the rest"  
Levi expected someone to call out. To protest, but no one did  
"Take him to my house. I shall skin this beast myself"  
So this guy must be calling the shots... carefully making his way back out the inn, he ducked around the corner and watched as Eren was carried from the inn.

It was only a short distance to the old man's house, and once inside with Eren's body, only the two people who'd carried it in emerged. Waiting until they were a fair distance from the house, Levi then made his move. 

*  
Not bothering to knock, Levi let himself into the house, before closing the door carefully behind him. The old man was already sharpening his blade, while Eren was still motionless on the kitchen table  
"I'm sorry, but you won't be killing him. That beast belongs to me"  
Looking up, the man stumbled back  
"Who are you?"  
"Levi. I'm with the Survey Corps. We had a report of wolf activity in the area"  
"The Survey Corps..."  
"Yes, and under government law, any evidence belonging to an ongoing investigation is legally ours"  
"We killed him fair and quick. He's ours. You have no jurisdiction here"  
"Why? So you can skin him and make another werewolf suit?"  
The old man's face paled at his words  
"W-w-w... how?"  
"I'm the one asking questions here. Like, what are those two goons of yours doing dressing up as a werewolf to scare the villagers?"  
"It's for their own good"  
"It's for their own good?"  
"Yes, and the pelt from this one will only solidify the people's fears"  
"Aren't you the village elder? Isn't it your job to protect the people?"  
The old man let out a harsh barking laugh  
"Protect the people! I am protecting them! This world is full of evil!"  
"So what? You're scaring them into submission? What do you get out of this?"  
"A man like you could never understand"  
"Then tell me"  
"You government dogs! You don't know what the real worlds like!"  
Looking back down at the blade in his hand, the man then turned to Eren  
"He will serve the greater good"  
Rising the knife, the man was clearly deranged as he brought his arm down in a wide arc. Stepping nimbly between the man and Eren, Levi grabbed him by the wrist before the blade found its target  
"Unless you can give me one good reason. I'm arresting for you"  
"You think we're scared of you?"  
Spitting in his face, Levi was completely revolted. Growling in disgust, he tightened his hold on the man's arm until it finally snapped. Letting out a howl, the man staggered backwards  
"Tell me what's going on here or I'll be forced to keep going"  
"You're a monster! A devil!"  
"I might be, but as they say: It takes one to know one"

Hearing Eren let out a huff of breath, Levi finally got confirmation that Eren was indeed still alive. In his hold, the old man went whiter  
"It's alive! You have to let me kill it! It's my right to kill it!"  
"I don't have to do anything. You see, this wolf isn't like other wolves. One word from me and he'll tear your throat out before you can comprehend what happened"  
His threat was obviously all talk. Eren would rather kill himself than someone else, but this shitty arsehole didn't know it  
"Tell me"  
"No..."  
"Tell me or you're a dead man!"  
The man seemed to be seriously weighing up his chances, but his conviction wavered, and he slowly sank to the floor  
"It's harmless..."  
"You scare your own people and then say it's harmless?!"  
"Well ever since wall Maria fell, things have been rough. You have no idea what kind of village this used to be! Now everyone's leaving and everyone's scared, yet your bloody government does nothing! They do nothing!"  
"You're the one driving them to leave!"  
"No. Not me! They pay a fee to be protected from the wolves!"  
"And what happens to those who don't pay?"  
"You've seen the scratches on the door. We never actually hurt anyone!"  
"Bullshit! These people live in fear!"  
"Yet they live! They stay indoors at night so the wolves don't get them! Our women and young folk stay and work the farms! Our town is finally getting back on its feet!"  
"You're a liar and a disgrace"  
"I..."  
"What happens to the money?"  
"W-w-what?"  
"The money. The protection fee"  
"I... I take my share and the others..."  
Of course, he lined his own pockets first  
"I'm only doing what needs to be done. You would do the same thing"  
"I hate weakness. One day soon, the day will come when a real werewolf turns up here. What happens then? Do you think we'll ride in to save you? Ride in to save the men spreading fear through the area?"  
"Of course you will. You're a dog. A dog of the government. It's your job to keep us safe"  
"That's where you're wrong"  
Releasing his hold on the old man's arm, Levi looked to Eren. Part of the teens face had grown back, but he was definitely healing at a slower pace than usual  
"Eren, come. We're going to tell the people the truth and let them decide what to do"  
Laughing again, the old man's laughter turned into coughing  
"You don't think they'll agree? You don't think they'll believe an outsider. Do you?"  
"No. That's why you're going to tell them"  
"They'll see me as a hero"  
"What about the other towns your men have hit? What about those people?"  
"We never hit other towns..."  
"Funny. That's not what you said before... I wonder how they'd feel"

"Boss! We have a problem"  
Staring at Levi, the two idiots from before clearly weren't expecting a stranger to be standing over their boss  
"Who the hell are you?"  
"I'm the one who's going to arrest you and your boss if you don't start speaking right now"  
The men both swallowed hard  
"I know all about your wolf scam"  
"It. It was all his idea! He made us do it!"  
"Yeah. For the good of the village. To stop all the people from leaving and going out!"  
Looking back down at the old man, Levi scowled  
"It seems they're more than happy to let you shoulder the blame"  
"But... no! They wore the suit!"  
"Because he paid us to! He said he'd stop the shops from serving us. How are we supposed to live if we can't even eat!"  
The amount of sheer idiocy in the room was making his head throb and Eren's sweet smell wasn't helping. Running his tongue over his teeth, Levi had had enough of all of this  
"You, get up"  
Taking the man by his broken arm, Levi pulled him up, before grabbing his other arm and pinning it behind his back  
"You two, is there a town meeting hall here?"  
"You mean like the church?"  
"Of course he means the church. That's the only buildin' big enough to get everyone in"  
"Good. Go round up everyone you can and have them meet us there. Eren, get off that table already. We have work to do"

*  
Stumbling behind Levi, Eren felt like shit. His whole body was throbbing, but the pain in his head was almost blinding. Making a mental note that being shot in the head hurt like a bitch and that he should avoid it all costs, he wondered if there would have been a better way to go about this. Yes, Levi had "caught" the elder and secured a confession, but he was almost certain this wasn't how the man would run his investigations normally. To Eren, it felt like he'd been tested and failed in every conceivable way, and he had little doubt that once Erwin heard what had happened, the man was sure to send him off to Hanji to play lab rat.

"Eren. I want you to wait out here"  
Looking up at Levi, he didn't know why he had to wait. He could easily turn back to his human form and provide some kind of back up. It took a long moment for his foggy brain to realise that showing his wolf form would lead to questions. They'd blown half his face off, he was supposed to be dead. Nodding his understanding to Levi, Eren moved to sink down next to the steps that lead into the church. Levi should have just left him back in that kitchen. At least it was nice and cool there. Waiting until Levi had entered the church, Eren then shifted back. Taking note of the blood across his stomach and hip, he prodded the area half out of curiosity. It wasn't right. He should have been dead. Why was he so "special" when so many people he'd know were now dead? Chewing on his lip, he tried to swallow down the guilt he felt. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he was completely oblivious to the fact people had started screaming.

*  
Standing in front the villagers, Levi stared down at them while trying to pick his words carefully. More than one of them had made to help the village elder, only to back down when he shot a glare in their direction. Listening to the whispers back and forth, everyone clearly wanted to know "who he was" and "what was going on". Taking a deep breath, Levi stood a little straighter  
"My name is Levi, I'm with the Survey Corps. A request for assistance reached the government, and I was sent out here to investigate your wolf problem"  
They didn't need to know he'd only arrived yesterday  
"During the course of my investigation, I came across a few things that didn't add up. Like the fact that none of you were eaten by a werewolf. Door and windows mean nothing to them, and a werewolf wouldn't ignore a fresh meal"  
As fresh whispers erupted, Levi was tempted to yell at them to shut up. They reminded him of bleating sheep, though he probably shouldn't say that out loud  
"There was also the shed. In the forest on the far side of the village, there's a small storage shed. Upon inspection, I found the heaped pile of skinned wolves, and suit made from their pelts. Native wolves are not werewolves. They will not turn into werewolves. I can see from the architecture in this church that wolves were once revered here"  
He actually had no idea, but there was a wolf face in the woodwork at the front of the church  
"The wolves you kill won't keep the werewolves away. What you should be fearing is this man here!"  
Nudging the old man with his foot, the man let out a pathetic groan  
"He has been paying two men to dress up and terrorise you all so that he can profit from your fear. The money you pay him for protection goes in his pocket!"  
After a moment of shocked silence, the two idiots stepped up  
"It's true! He pays us!"  
"Shut up you fools! I did it for all of you! Don't you see, I just wanted to keep you all safe!"  
All at once the room descended into chaos. Women were screaming and wailing, while a few men had jumped to their feet. The way Levi saw it, whatever happened next was the choice of the villagers. He'd provided them with the truth. As far as he was concerned, this particular village had been dealt with. Now all he and Eren needed to do was check the surrounding ones for similar activity. It was highly probable that one of the elders for the area had come up with the initial plan, and given its effectiveness... shaking his head in disgust, he moved to where Eren was sitting  
"Eren, it's time to go"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all. This is all. I love you and you can do whatever you dream

Sitting across from Erwin, Eren had his face buried in his hands. His first mission had been torn to shreds by the man, and Levi hadn't even offered a word of support. That may have been due to the fact Erwin was just as unimpressed with Levi's actions as he was Eren's. Levi had been right though. The other small towns of the area had all been exploiting their citizen's fears, and after a week doing the rounds, they'd returned to find the first village completely empty with no signs of life. The guilt he felt... he couldn't even describe it. Even if they'd been living in fear, they'd all been together. They'd all been alive... only half listening to Erwin's words, he just couldn't concentrate at all. Even if they'd shot him in the head, they'd only done so because they were scared  
"Eren"  
Jumping at Erwin's stern tone, Eren raised his head slowly  
"S-sir?"  
"You can go now"  
"Oh. Right"  
Rising shakily, Eren saluted half-heartedly before leaving Erwin's office. His partnership with Levi hadn't been dissolved, but maybe it should have. Levi had probably never been lectured like that before, and it was all because he hadn't used his head. They could have just talked to the village elder. They could have tried any other way...

Letting himself into his cell, Eren pulled the door firmly closed behind him, somewhat relieved when the lock clicked into place. Sure the world was continuing outside the cold metal bars, but as long as it was on the other side of them, he could breathe a little easier. Leaving his bag still packed, Eren sank down on the edge of his bed, before beginning to pull his boots off. With all his thoughts and emotions in a whirl, the last thing he needed was the feeling of his arse growing damp. It'd been hard enough to hide the embarrassing frequency of which it had happened during the past fortnight, and the fact his scent glands had been just as bad. It was humiliating. He wanted his old body back... even if that meant no longer being Levi's partner.

*  
"Did you have to be so rough with him?"  
Looking down at Erwin, Levi couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed with his friend. Eren was obviously taking the desertion of the village hard, the teen barely talking outside of absolutely necessary conversation during the return ride back to the castle. It wasn't like Levi particularly wanted Eren to talk his ear off, but something deep down was definitely troubled by seeing the pain in Eren's eyes  
"What was I supposed to do? I expected better of you Levi. I expected better from both of you"  
"Don't blame it on me. Blame it on human greed. We did our jobs and exposed the truth. It was the villagers choice to leave"  
"You let him recklessly throw himself in head first, resulting in him being shot three times"  
"Which healed"  
"That's not the point and you know it"  
"Look. He's learnt his lesson and I doubt he'll be making the same mistakes again"  
Erwin raised an eyebrow at him as the man leant back in his chair  
"Do you have any idea how the government is going to react to this once they hear the official report? He'll be lucky if he keeps his head"  
"You and I both know you're not about to release the full details"  
"He doesn't. You can't encourage this risky behaviour. You need to train him like he's a normal human, and normal humans don't just magically recover from being shot in the face at point-blank range"  
Levi let out a sigh of annoyance. Eren wasn't human, he could take the hits a normal person couldn't. What was the point of having this "condition" if the teen wasn't allowed to make full use of his "skills"  
"Levi, I'm serious. I can only do so much to protect Eren"  
"Fine. I'll talk to him about it"  
"Good"  
Considering the conversation over, Levi strode from Erwin's office. Mulling the conversation over as he headed to his private quarters, he still felt Erwin was wrong. They'd taken the time to try and ferret out Eren's wolf traits to make better use of them, so saying he had to train Eren like he was a normal human was like saying all that work was for nothing. The teen already had to suffer being branded a monster, so why not showcase the brats talents? Why not show that he really was a monster on humanities side. Letting out another sigh of annoyance, Levi scolded himself for his thoughts. Of course, Erwin was right. People would hate Eren less if they thought him a regular human, and it was selfish of him to think of Eren as anything like a kindred spirit. His beast was hidden, while Eren's was practically on display at all times... or at least the smell of the teens beast was.

After cleaning and unpacking, Levi gathered up his washing. His concern for Eren was starting to grate on his nerves, so he intended to use "teaching Eren how to do laundry correctly" as an excuse to ascertain the boy's state of mind. The teen had probably never washed anything properly in his whole life, and if Eren's smell had been anything to go by, the brat had a fair amount of washing hidden away. Though he'd tactfully avoided mentioning it, he knew more than once that Eren had grown "wet" or "slick" as Hanji would have called it. His own experiences with puberty had been a bitch, but at least his unquenchable thirst for blood hadn't left wet spots on his arse, nor filled an entire room with the alluring smells of honey and blood. He definitely wouldn't go through puberty all over again, no matter how much rare tea or fresh blood he was paid, but he'd take it over whatever Eren must have been feeling and experiencing. The realisation made Levi stop in his tracks. What the hell was wrong with him? Shaking his head, he told himself it was his job to watch over the kid. Just like it was his job to kill Eren if he ever turned and posed a serious risk to those around him.

Leaving his pile of washing at the top of the stairs, Levi headed down to Eren's cell despite the fact he could hear the boy sobbing and the sound of something thumping lightly. He'd expected to see Eren curled up on his bed, instead, he was greeted by the sight of Eren repeatedly punching into the back wall of his cell. Completely oblivious to his presence, the teen didn't even seem to realise how fucked up his hands were. Fucking great. Levi couldn't deny lashing out and punching more than few walls in his time, but this looked and smelt more like self-loathing and self-punishment than pure rage. Unlocking the cell door, Levi stepped inside before clearing his throat, only for Eren to start kicking the wall instead  
"Eren. Stop!"  
Shaking his head, the next kick was accompanied by the sickening crack of bones breaking. Ignoring the pain of his obviously broken foot, Eren kicked out hard again. This time, however, his foot failed to hit the wall. Grabbing him firmly by the arm, Levi swept Eren's legs from under him while controlling the teens fall to the floor  
"You need to calm down"  
Snarling loudly, Eren tried to rise, but the teens mental and physical exhaustion had finally caught up him, despite his efforts he barely rose  
"If I let you go, will you stop"  
Mumbling his reply, Levi tightened his hold on Eren's arm until the boy yelped  
"Alright! God! Yes!"  
The moment Levi released his hold, Eren sank to the floor like a sack of potatoes  
"Good. Now what's this shit all about"  
"I don't want to talk about it"  
"Too bad. I can't have you harming yourself like this"  
"Why?"  
"What do you mean why?"  
"Why?! Why does it matter?! I'm just going to heal like nothing happened!"  
"Because you're a soldier under my command. A lot of people are sticking their necks out to protect you, and here I find you having a tantrum"  
"If it bothers you so much, you should just leave"  
Did Eren just...  
"Get up"  
"What?"  
"Get up!"  
Taking Eren by the arm, Levi hefted the teen back onto his feet  
"Shit missions like that happen. The only thing we can do out in the field is try and make the choice we'll least regret"  
Looking down at his feet, Eren kept his mouth closed  
"This job isn't pretty. If you want a nice comfortable life you're in the wrong job and if you aren't fully committed, then everything you've said until now has been a lie and I would be well within my rights to report this to Erwin. Is that what you want?"  
"N-no"  
"Good. Now you're a soldier and you should know better. I'm going to find Hanji and send her down"  
Eren paled at Hanji's name  
"Something you'd like to say"  
"Not Hanji"  
"What?"  
"Not Hanji... please"  
"It's her duty to oversee everything relating to your medical care. Do you have a problem with her methods?"  
"No sir"  
"Then what is it? Would you rather her not see you like this?"  
When Eren nodded, Levi bit back a sigh  
"She's not your mother. She is your superior officer. Remember that"  
He felt like an arse for coming down so hard on Eren, but there was no way he was letting Eren off for his behaviour. Just like Eren had learned a hard lesson in the village, he was about to learn another one and that what he was doing to himself wasn't going to make him feel better.

*  
After a long talk with Hanji, 12 hours of blissful dream free drug-induced sleep, a hot shower and a solid breakfast, Eren was feeling better. Not great, but better... It would have been great if not for the fact Hanji wanted to run all sorts of tests on him. Since the moment she'd come down to collect him Hanji had pretty much talked nonstop about the things she wanted to do, including during his shower. After the embarrassing sight, he'd shown her and Levi the previous night he felt like he owed them both apologies. Hanji had been easy, all it had taken was him starting to apologise for her to immediately reassure him it was alright, well that and a promise not to lose it like that again. Levi on the other hand... He'd practised his apology over and over mentally only to find Levi absent at breakfast. Truthfully he was kind of relieved. Though he knew delaying the inevitable would only serve to leave him even more anxious when the time finally came.

After taking skin, hair and tissue samples, Hanji then biopsied his scent glands. She was sure his scent had changed since leaving, and all Eren could attribute it to was the soap Levi had given him. It wasn't like anything had physically changed about him while he and Levi had been gone. Sure he'd been shot, but it wasn't like he'd mated with anyone, or found anyone he'd consider a potential mate, yet she insisted the shift in scent reflected that fact. Honestly, when she started on about attracting mates by releasing different hormones which created more appealing smells, he'd kind of blanked out. The one person he'd been in constant contact with that whole time had been Levi, and he definitely didn't want to have sex with his captain. The mere thought left him terrified, and the fact that he was thinking about it had him scrambling to think about anything else, which naturally lead to him thinking even more about Levi. No. He didn't love his captain. He admired him and that wasn't loved.

Once Hanji had taken all her samples, he was finally released. He'd thought he'd get away without having to shift into a wolf, yet she insisted on taking all the same samples all over again with him in his wolf form. Despite his healing capabilities, his glands hurt like a bitch. All four of them throbbed as if she was still cutting into them, despite having healed externally. Naturally, he'd played down his discomfort, and was finally released from her clutches for lunch. Given he didn't particularly want to dine alone, he headed straight back to his cell. Being allowed to move freely was nice and all, but he had no one to enjoy his freedom with. It was still another 13 days until he'd see Mikasa and Armin again. 

*  
Having spent the morning reading over the list of recruits that would be joining the Scouting Legion upon graduation, Levi had then been tasked with organising their accommodation. With their dwindling numbers, most of the old bunk rooms had been converted into storage for Hanji's experiments. Half the junk had never worked, but shitty glasses was a serial hoarder and insisted that one day she might have a use for it... Which now meant he had to order his squad to free up one bunk room for the female recruits and three for the males. 

Pausing after placing down the lamp shed been carrying, Petra looked to him. Since the woman's confession, he'd given her breathing space and was now trying to act like nothing had changed between them, so knowing he probably was going to regret asking, he still did anyway  
"What is it Petra?"  
"I was just wondering where Eren is?"  
Levi couldn't tell if she was asking out of curiosity or concern, but either way, it didn't change the answer  
"Hanji's borrowing him for the morning"  
"Is he alright?"  
"He's in Hanji's hands. He'll be lucky to get out of it in one piece"  
Petra didn't seem to appreciate the slight hint of humour in his tone  
"Is that alright sir? I mean, what if he shifts?"  
"Petra, Eren is a monster, but he's also a monster on our side. Erwin has granted him permission to move about the castle freely when it comes to tests and such. We can't waste time and effort having someone escort him everywhere"  
"What if he tries to escape?"  
Now he was sure Petra was letting her jealousy show. She wouldn't be going after Eren like this if she wasn't  
"If that ever happens I'll deal with him myself. But maybe you're right. We could use another set of hands"  
Petra looked like she was dying to tell him no, instead all he got was a shaky "Yes sir!". Leaving Gunther in charge, Levi took his time as he walked through the castle halls. The bunk rooms were disgustingly filthy, and he was sure that no matter what Hanji put him through, Eren would at least be able to help carry the cleaning supplies back. If Petra hadn't started prying like she had, he probably would have excused Eren until the rooms were actually clean, but with her attitude, it was clear they really needed some quality "team building time"

"S-sir!"  
Watching Eren climb from his bed, Levi didn't miss the way Eren winced as he swallowed. Eyeing the dried blood on Eren's neck, Levi swallowed down the surge of hunger he felt. Now was not the time to be thinking of snacking on the brats carotid, especially when he seemed to be in pain  
"Has Hanji finished with you for today?"  
"U-uh yes. They were just standard tests"  
"And your neck?"  
Raising a hand almost self consciously, Eren covered his left scent gland  
"Hanji had to biopsy my glands again. She said my scent has changed... or something. It's nothing sir"  
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be wincing"  
"They've already healed. Is there something you needed me for?"  
Clearing his throat, Levi nodded  
"As you know it's just under two weeks before the new recruits arrive, which means we need to prepare. Normally they clean their own bunk space, but thanks to Hanji we've had to do some rearranging"  
"So you need me to help move things?"  
"No. That's already taken care of. I need someone to help me carry the cleaning supplies over to the bunk rooms..."  
Letting his words trail off, he almost had to laugh at how excited Eren seemed  
"Of course! I'll be happy to help and sir, can I ask you to please forget last night? Hanji said my hormones are messed up at the moment... but even so... I lost my head. I promise you won't have to see something like that again"  
With yet another conversation taking a turn in the wrong direction, Levi silently cursed himself. Of course, Eren would apologise  
"On the condition that the next time you feel like that, you don't mess up your cell with blood. This place is filthy"  
"Sorry, sir... do you want me to clean in here instead?"  
"No. You'll clean this place once we're done with the bunk rooms"  
"Right"

Trailing behind him, Eren would only get a few steps before rubbing his neck and wincing. The constant and repetitive action was seriously beginning to rub on his nerves. Stopping abruptly, Eren walked straight into him before blinking in shock  
"Eren, show me your neck"  
Immediately Eren's hand flew up to cover his left scent gland again  
"Sir?"  
"You said you healed, but you just winced"  
"I didn't"  
"Eren"  
Pulling his hand back, Levi was finally shown the site. Despite the skin having healed over, the gland was both bruised and raised, while freely weeping translucent orange coloured oil  
"What exactly did she do?"  
"She cut out biopsy samples"  
"I know that much, but did she numb the area or knock you out?"  
"No sir, I told her it was fine not to"  
"It's not fine. Here, wrap this around your neck"  
Undoing his cravat, Eren tried to awkwardly push it back at him as he moved to wrap it around the teen's neck  
"Stop fucking moving"  
The effect of his words were immediate, Eren stood stock still as he tied it in place  
"Now leave them alone"  
"Yes sir"  
"Are the ones between your legs just as bad?"  
"I don't know"  
"Are the bruised and swollen?"  
"Yes..."  
"Right. You're on sweeping and mopping. Even if the others tell you to get on your hands and knees, don't"  
"Others?"  
"The rest of my squad"  
"Oh, right"  
How much of a scatterbrain could this kid be? God give him strength.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter and the next are very back and forth, I am attempting to have our two babies build a friendship... 
> 
> Also, If you follow my tumblr you know I've been having some issues, so feel free to yell all my errors at me xxxxx


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the tiny second half of the chapter before.
> 
> Also.
> 
> Reports are hard!

Swallowing hard, Eren coughed in pain. According to Levi his glands were bruised and swollen, and if they looked like the ones between his legs... he didn't know how his captain could bear to look at them. No wonder the man had insisted on covering them  
"Eren, you missed a spot"  
They'd been mid-clean when Erwin had pulled Levi away, and Petra had taken over. Turning to look at the spot in question, he found her pointing at a spot he couldn't actually reach thanks to the bunk over it  
"You'll have to do it. I'm not allowed"  
"What do you mean you're not allowed?"  
"Captain Levi said that I'm not allowed to..."  
"Well Levi isn't here and this needs to be done before he gets back"  
Coughing again, Petra continued to scowl at him  
"You should take that cloth off from around your neck and put it to use"  
"Oh..."  
"What? You can't do that either?"  
"No... it's just... it's Levi's"  
"What are you doing with Levi's cravat around your neck?"  
He honestly didn't want to admit he'd had a bad reaction up Hanji's probing, and the way he saw it, it wasn't Petra's business  
"Petra, why don't you give him a break?"  
"Because Levi left me in charge. Eren, I expect this whole room to be spotless by the time I return. Gunther, you and Eld can start on the next room. Olou, you and I will start on the end room"  
At least he was shot a sympathetic look by Gunther and Eld as they gathered their things. Eren knew he was out of his depth, but he was determined to do the best job he could. Not just to throw it back in Petra's face, but as an apology to Levi... though he knew for fact he wouldn't live up up Levi's standards.

Ignoring Levi's orders, Eren undid Levi's cravat from around his neck. The crisp white fabric had been ruined by his leaking scent glands, he'd have to buy his captain a new one. With that thought in mind, he fell considerably less guilty as he tied it to cover the lower half his face, before looking up. When he'd started sweeping the floor, Levi had told him he was doing it wrong and that he needed to work from the ceiling down. Eyeing the spots he'd missed the first time, he once again swallowed painfully. This was going to be a bitch.

Starting with the ceiling Eren wondered what Mikasa and Armin would think if they could see him now. Sweeping the ceiling... seriously.... was that even a thing? Jean would be laughing his head off right now, while Sasha and Connie would have long ago been distracted and probably taken off in search of food. Not sure if his eyes were filling with tears from the dust or thinking of his friends, Eren redoubled his efforts. He had no idea how many of them would be joining the Survey Corps, but he'd wished he'd taken more time to say goodbye before coming here. He'd only been thinking of himself and achieving his dream by ending up here.

*  
Storming through the halls, Levi was less than impressed Erwin had pulled him away mid-clean. It hadn't even been something urgent or important, his friend had just wanted to make sure everything was alright with Eren, which left him with the feeling Hanji might have opened her mouth and dobbed the kid in. 

Finding one bunk room with a closed door, and cursing coming from the other two, Levi left the first room, instead heading to the last where Petra's voice was coming from  
"How's it going?"  
Jumping at the sudden intrusion of his voice, Petra smiled brightly  
"We're just about to brush the beds down..."  
"Where's Eren?"  
"He's cleaning the first room. He wouldn't listen to anything we asked him to do. He even said the cloth around his neck was yours, and refused to use it to clean"  
"What do you mean he wouldn't listen to you?"  
"We asked him to sweep under the bed, but he got defensive to the point of being intentionally rude"  
"Petra, did you leave him alone?"  
"That's what he wanted..."

Shit. He'd expected more from Petra. Jogging from the end room and back to the first, Levi threw the floor open. Collapsed in the middle of the room was Eren. The whole space smelt of blood  
"God! What is that sme-..."  
Given how often Olou bit his tongue, the man really should know the scent of blood. Moving over to Eren, Levi lifted him from the floor to the nearest bed. The kids colour was horrible, and his breathing sounded even worse. Pulling the cravat from Eren's face, he bit down his temper  
"Is that blood?"  
"Hanji spent the morning taking tissue samples and Eren had a bad reaction. He was supposed to keep the cravat around his neck because his scent glands are swollen"  
Tilting Eren's head, Levi pointed out the painful looking gland  
"He has two more between his legs which were just as bad. That's why I told him not to kneel or squat down"  
"But... why didn't he just tell us?"  
"Because he knows you hate him. Would you admit to someone who wanted you dead that you're hurt? You know, I expected better of you. I thought we could move past this shit"  
Petra looked genuinely upset over his words. Given Eren wasn't going anywhere, Levi rose and looked around the room. The kid had done a decent job, especially for being on his own, though the floor needed going over again  
"What's going on?"  
Emerging from the third room, Eld and Gunther both looked at Eren with concern. At least that was something  
"Eren collapsed"  
Gunther nodded slowly  
"I thought he seemed off, but Petra insisted he cleaned the room on his own"  
Petra opened and closed her mouth  
"Petra..."  
"How was I supposed to know he was sick!"  
Storming from the room, Levi watched her go. He'd have to talk to Erwin about this  
"Gunther, can you take Eren back down to his cell. Eld, you find Hanji and send her down to take care of him. Olou, Eren has done a good job in here, but the floor needs to be redone with something like a hoof pick. You start on the floors while I redo the job you and Petra did of that end room"

It was nearly midnight by the time all four dorm rooms were finally cleaned to a habitable standard. In the end, his squad had caused more work than they'd cleaned up, and it really did seem like Eren was the only one who paid attention to how thoroughly clean Levi liked things to be. Despite his own fatigue, Levi headed to the mess hall to organise dinner for Eren. Hanji would have probably given the teen a sedative and left Eren sleeping it off, which would have meant the teen wouldn't have gotten the chance to eat. Despite telling himself that he was only acting as any squad leader should, he also found himself wanting to make sure Eren was actually alright. Preparing the teen a simple dinner of bread and fruit, Levi nodded to himself before heading down to Eren's cell.

Eren was snoring softly when arrived, with no sign of Hanji being around. Letting himself into Eren's cell, he carried the tray of food over to the small table across from Eren's bed  
"Sir?"  
Looking over, Levi realised he must have woken Eren when the cell door creaked open  
"I brought you some dinner"  
"Oh. You didn't have to do that"  
"Have you already eaten?"  
"No... Hanji made me drink something and it knocked me out. I'm sorry I didn't finish cleaning the room"  
"You did an alright job for a rookie, but with floors like that, you need to scrape between the stones to lift the dirt"  
"I'll remember that for next time"  
"How're your glands?"  
"Not as bad... um... Hanji said I will probably be ok by morning"  
"Good. I'll be talking to Erwin about Petra's behaviour"  
"Please don't"  
Crossing his arms, Levi leant against the cell wall  
"Why not?"  
"Because it'll only make things worse"  
"You're sick. She should have known better"  
"I didn't tell her I was sick. Besides, it was nice to have something to do"  
"Is that your way of asking for more work?"  
"When I'm working I feel like I'm actually contributing something here. I just don't want to be a burden"  
"We won't have a job until after the new recruits arrive"  
Eren's face fell slightly  
"Look. We'll be going to Trost for supplies on Saturday. Normally a rookie wouldn't be allowed to ride along, but you're under my supervision. Use the next few days to prepare a shopping list based on what you think the new recruits will need"  
"Will that really help?"  
"It means less paperwork for me"  
Eren nodded quickly  
"Alright, sir. I'll do my best"  
"Good. Now eat your dinner and then get some more rest. We're practising hand to hand combat tomorrow morning"  
"I'll be sir"  
Leaving Eren's cell, Levi let out a long breath. He'd only wanted to make sure Eren was healing, yet he'd just lied to make the kid feel better. Now he had to figure out just what the hell to tell Erwin.

*  
When Saturday morning finally rolled around, Eren found himself nervous. He'd spent the last couple of days training almost non-stop with the rest of Levi's squad, and though Petra was still more than a little icy towards him, Gunther and Eld would actually go out of their way to talk to him. Even helping him up after Levi kicked his arse without even breaking a sweat. Because of his wolf side, Levi would only let him practice his hand to hand combat against him, though he was sure that was for the man's sake instead of his. It was clear Levi was holding back when it came to practicing with others so having someone he didn't have to be afraid of hurting must have been liberating for his captain. Unlike him who was terrified he'd hurt the man... if he could actually land a blow on him. Listening to the steps on the staircase, Eren realised more then one person was coming down. When Petra and Hanji appeared, he was beyond confused  
"Hey Eren! How'd you sleep?"  
"Alright..."  
"Liar. You were totally too nervous to sleep properly, weren't you"  
Snorting as he nodded, he really couldn't deny it  
"Damn. You saw straight through me"  
"Well it's been nearly two months. Now, have you got your list?"  
"Yep"  
"Good good"  
Unlocking the door, Hanji waited for him to walk out before pulling it closed again  
"I feel like a concerned mum. You're going to be alright, right?"  
"Yeah and Levi's got most of wages still"  
"He's already waiting with the supply cart, so Petra will take you up. I just wanted to see you before you left"  
"Hanji, you make it sound like I'm never coming back"  
Hanji let out a loud laugh  
"Sorry! Sorry! I can't help it. I'll see you later!"  
Confused as to why Hanji didn't follow Petra and himself up the stairs, Eren forced himself not to think of it. Today he wanted to pretend he was completely normal.

"Eren, you'll be riding up here with me today"  
Climbing up onto the bench of the cart, Eren hid his annoyance the best he could. He'd been hoping to ride like everyone else, but instead he was now sitting beside Gunther though there was no real reason for him to  
"Relax, you don't need to look so disappointed"  
"Oh... no. It's not that..."  
Stammering like an idiot, he didn't know how to take the way Gunther was smiling at him  
"I just wanted to ride"  
"Sorry, Erwin was very strict about you not riding or wandering"  
Not realising Levi had moved to his side, Eren kicked himself for being so honest and for thinking he could pretend to be normal  
"It's fine. I understand"  
"Gunther, make sure he doesn't fall asleep"  
"Will do. Are we ready?"  
"Ready when you are"  
Giving a flick of the reins, Eren's stomach lurched as the cart jolted forward  
"It's fine if you want to sleep. The rides only really interesting the first time"

After the first hour or so, Eren found it harder and harder to stay awake. The rock and sway of the cart was lulling him to sleep, and the sun felt amazing against his skin. Catching himself falling asleep again, he jolted upright  
"Whoa! Don't go falling off there"  
"Sorry..."  
"It's fine if you want to sleep"  
"No. I'll be alright"  
Gunther gave a light hum as if he was just waiting for him to nod off, and Eren couldn't stifle his rising yawn  
"Maybe I am a little tired"  
"We still have another hour until we get to Trost. Take a nap, I'll wake you up just before we get there"  
He felt weak for needing a nap but finally gave in. Closing his eyes, he was asleep before he realised he'd slumped sideways onto Gunther's arm.

*  
As promised, Gunther let him sleep right up until the last minute. Waking up to find everyone staring at him, Eren's face burnt with embarrassment  
"How nice of you join us"  
"Oh. Sorry. The sun feels really nice"  
Levi didn't seem particularly happy with his explanation, leaving Eren biting his lip to prevent himself from apologising again  
"We'll drop the cart off at HQ here, and do the shopping by foot"  
"Ok..."  
Despite the battle that had happened here, all the citizens they passed seem happy enough. Knowing they were ok eased some of the lingering guilt he felt about the village down south. He'd actually made a difference here and managed to save people. Allowing his ego to swell slightly, he even managed a smile as he saw a group of kids playing  
"I don't think I've seen you smile before"  
"I was just thinking that they seem happy"  
"Yeah. Just don't go thinking they feel the same way to see you. A lot of people see no point in going outside the walls to fight the wolves"  
"I know... it's just... my first job with Levi didn't go well and a lot of people were forced to leave their homes because of us"  
"Maybe it's for the better that they did. We never know what's happening from one day to the next"  
Falling silent, it was a short ride to the HQ and the moment the soldiers there saw Eren, they were instantly on guard. Avoiding looking at any of them, Eren pretty much kept staring at his feet until he and Levi had left the compound  
"Have you got that list?"  
"Yes sir"  
Sliding it out his pocket, he placed it in Levi's hands  
"Potatoes and meat for Sasha. We don't have much of a budget for meat"  
"I tried to think about what everyone would want or need, but I could only come up with just the essentials already issued to us"  
"I figured as much. We need to stop by the tailor store first and organise the delivery of the uniforms, but after that, we can take our time"

Even if Levi said they could take their time, Eren was still rushing to keep up with him. After confirming that all their new uniforms would be delivered to HQ before day's end, they next had to tackle the dry goods aspect. Never in his life had seen so many herbs as the ones in the marketplace. He didn't consider himself particularly learned when it came to plants, but he'd seen his fair share through his father's work. Watching as Levi handed over Hanji's shopping list, his captain also handed over a thick envelope. His curiosity must have shown as Levi moved back to his side  
"There's no need to stare. The money was for tea leaves"  
"Tea leaves?"  
"Yes, high-quality tea leaves. I need to check in with the vegetable vendor just up from here, will you be alright?"  
Wait... Levi was going to leave him on his own?  
"Yes, sir!"  
"Not so loud. Here, this is the rest of your wages. Once you have Hanji's herbs, I'll meet you at the end of the road"  
"I thought you had to supervise me"  
"I'm not watching you buy underwear. Get what you need to"  
"Thank you, sir. I promise not to take long"  
Without replying, Levi pressed a small bag into his hands. It took him a moment to realise it was because he had coinage in his wages. Quickly opening the bag, he flicked through the bills and coins. He had nearly $80 of his own money and he could barely believe it  
"I have your order"  
Jumping at the vendor's voice, Eren span around to stare at the man  
"Your herbs and tea"  
"Oh right. Thank you"  
Accepting the wooden box, he found the tea in a solid metal container  
"Sorry if this seems like a stupid question, but how long will tea stay fresh in here?"  
"6 months, give or take"  
"And how much is it for a tin this size?"  
"$40"  
"Can I please get another one?"  
The man looked at him like he was insane until he pulled the money out and gave it to him. Leaving him alone, it seemed a long few minutes before the man returned  
"Here you go"  
"And this is exactly the same?"  
"I wouldn't dare cross your partner with inferior tea"  
Eren nodded quickly. He wouldn't dare cross Levi in general if he could help it  
"Thank you"

Wandering the market place was amazing. He managed to pick up new clothes, a new blanket, a couple of things for his friends and a few more small homely things for himself. He totally blew most of his money, but if he was going to die sometime soon, he might as well die a little more comfortably. Reaching the end of the street, he found Levi sitting at a cafe table  
"Did you get everything you need?"  
"Yeah. I hope you didn't have to wait too long"  
"Not really. It's time to head back though"

Arriving back at HQ, most of their purchases had already been delivered. Separating out Hanji's herbs and Levi's tea, Eren was allowed to pack all his purchases into the box the herbs had originally been in. Secretly he was a little relieved he wouldn't have to share the details of things he'd bought with everyone else. It wasn't embarrassing and he was really happy with everything he'd purchased, but he didn't want to be treated like an idiot if they were things he could have gotten for free through the Survey Corps. When the cart was fully loaded, his stomach let out a loud and long rumble, reminding him he hadn't eaten anything today other than an apple he'd purchased at the market  
"Someone's hungry!"  
Bring the closest person to him, there was no way Eld hadn't heard his stomach  
"Why didn't you eat while you were shopping? We all did"  
"Because I was..."  
"Leave him alone. This was his time shopping, so you can't blame the brat for being too excited to remember something as important as buying something to eat"  
"I did. I had an apple"  
Levi raised an eyebrow at his words, while Petra just looked annoyed  
"We'll be having dinner here before we leave"  
"But sir, we need to get back to the castle"  
"The castle isn't going anywhere. Besides I'm hungry too"  
Eren severely doubted Levi was actually hungry, and he most definitely didn't want to eat dinner here, his captain had gone out of his way to cover for him and for that he was extremely grateful.

The moment they walked into the mess hall, everyone fell silent. Eren didn't doubt for a second that they'd all been talking about him. Feeling a nudge in his side, he looked to see Gunther staring down at him  
"What?"  
"Don't let them get to you. Hold your head high"  
"They all hate me"  
"That's there problem, not yours"  
Feeling a rush of affection for the man, Eren nodded as he made a visible effort to pull himself together. Following his squad, they made their way to the end off the mess hall and collected their meals. The soldiers serving looked half tempted to spit in his food, but Levi was scowling at them so coldly any impulses died on the spot. Once again Eren followed the group to the nearest free table.

He'd only managed a few bites... well, more like shovelled in spoonfuls before he the drama started. A soldier he'd never seen before had walked over to their table when he'd been busy eating. Grabbing him by the hair, the man slammed his face down into his tray of food before he could comprehend just what had happened. In the same instance, his whole squad were on their feed  
"Soldier what do you think you're doing?!"  
Releasing his hair, the man turned to face Levi  
"How can you sit here with this freak!?"  
Great... He could feel them all staring at him before, but now it felt like each set of eyes was driving silent nails into his  
"Do you know who he is?"  
"I know exactly who he is. He's a monster!"  
Rising from his own seat, Eren grabbed the new handkerchief he'd bought today from his pocket and calmly wiped his face clean  
"Eren, sit down"  
Opening his mouth, he realised that if he argued back he'd seem like he couldn't obey orders... like some feral animal. Yet he didn't want the man catching all of Levi's wrath. Slowly he sank back down  
"Do you know who I am?"  
The man stared blankly at Levi and Eren was shocked he didn't seem to know  
"Captain Levi. The soldier you just assaulted is part of my squad. My squad is my family and you just hurt my family"  
Despite Levi's kind words, his tone was like ice. Goosebumps erupted across Eren's flesh as a shiver ran through his whole body. Some of the man's fellow soldiers rushed to their friend's aid, making to grab his arms, only for him to brush them off  
"Why should we have to put up with that filthy thing sitting here?"  
Before the man could comprehend it, Levi had him on the floor. Actually, it was before anyone could comprehend it. Eren hadn't even seen Levi move. With his arm pinned firmly behind his back, and Levi's knee pressing down on his middle back, the man let out a yelp  
"I think you owe my squad member an apology"  
"I don't owe him shit"  
Pressing down harder with his knee, the man beneath him finally yelled  
"Alright! Alright! I'm sorry. Now get off of me"  
Looking up at him, Levi looked him square in the eyes  
"Eren. Do you accept this piece of judgemental shits apology?"  
"Yes"  
Releasing the man, Levi rose  
"You can finish my dinner. We'll be leaving once we're done eating"  
Holy fuck that had been intimidating. When Levi slid his barely touched food over to him, Eren was too scared not to eat it. He'd never expected Levi to stand up for him like that and as much as he could rationalise everyone's fear, it was kind of nice to see them all put in their place. 

After the incident, no one seemed particularly hungry, yet they all finished their meals before the lot of them returned to the supply cart  
"Gunther, you swap with Petra. Eren you're up front again"  
Two hours stuck next to Petra. Hadn't Levi just saved him? Now he was throwing him under the... cart? Climbing on the seat, he didn't miss the filthy look Petra threw him. Pretending the look wasn't directed at him, Eren forced a smile  
"Everything alright?"  
Ignoring his question, Petra gathered up the reins. This was going to be a very, very long trip home.


	10. Chapter 10

When Eren had arrived back at his cell, he'd found it had been given the Hanji treatment. He still had the same bed in the corner, with the same thick chains connecting to the far wall. However, he now had two thick pillows, a thicker blanket, a small wooden closet and mirror that caught the sun from the small grate in the neighbouring cell and redirected it into his. And after 6 days he was still adjusting to it. His cell felt almost "homely", and more than he deserved. Mikasa was probably going to be less than impressed by the fact he was still living out his cell, but now she wouldn't be able to complain he wasn't being properly looked after. 

*  
"You can't be serious"  
Pulling back from Erwin's arm, Levi licked his lips as he nodded. Tomorrow his squad would be picking up the new recruits, and because Eren had a history with all of them, Levi wanted to bring the teen. He'd known Erwin would object, especially after what happened during dinner, but from a practical point of view it made sense to him  
"Eren knows them. If something was to go wrong, he'd be a valuable asset"  
"Levi, I've been wondering if I should bring this up or not, but Petra came to see me"  
Erwin paused for a moment as if giving Levi time to process the man's words  
"She said that you and Eren are involved"  
Levi blinked in shock, before letting out a small snort  
"No"  
"No, you're not? Or no, you wouldn't tell me if you were?"  
"Erwin. Do you honestly think I would be that stupid?"  
"I know Eren has an effect on you. You said so yourself"  
"He has an effect on my hunger, but even that's cooled down lately"  
Erwin sighed deeply as he finally moved to dab at his still bleeding arm  
"When I think about it, you have changed since he came... and I know for a fact you've been covering for him"  
"That's because..."  
"Because he's like you?"  
Levi didn't like the way the conversation was progressing. He did feel something for Eren, but not love  
"I don't love him. I feel that he and his monster have more potential than anyone so far had given him credit for. That's not to say he isn't a shitty brat. No. Petra's on a warpath. She confessed her feelings to me, but we both know I've never felt anything vaguely romantic towards her, since then she's gone out of her way to make things hard for Eren"  
"You need to sort this out. If she was to lodge a complaint with anyone else, they might not be as ready to listen to either of you"  
"Then let me take Eren with us tomorrow. Or even tonight. If we could leave tonight, it would force them both to spend time together"  
"We can't have Eren sleeping unchained and unsupervised"  
"He won't be"  
Erwin took a long few moments to respond, clearly taking into account the fact they really couldn't have Petra causing trouble like this. Levi had fully intended to talk to Erwin about this but knew it wouldn't reflect well on Petra's standing. They were soldiers, there was no time for romantic entanglements and especially not with Eren  
"Fine. Everything's already been prepared for tomorrow morning, so go tell your squad you're leaving tonight"

Finding Petra, Olou, Gunther and Eld in the training courtyard, Levi filled them in on the fact they would be leaving to tonight, though he neglected to inform them that Eren would be coming with them. Although confused, they left to prepare their horses while Levi headed off to notify Eren of their change of plans. 

Finding Eren curled up on his bed, the teen was completely immersed in the small book he was reading. It was a strange sight. He knew the kid could read and write, but he never really seemed the type to find enjoyment in reading  
"Eren"  
Jumping at the intrusion, Eren somewhat comically tried to hide the book under his pillow as he scrambled off the bed  
"Sir!"  
"Good book?"  
Eren cast a glance back to the pillow, before back to him  
"Ah... yeah. Is something wrong sir?"  
"Get whatever you need for an overnight trip"  
"Sir?"  
"We're heading out to pick up the new recruits tonight and you'll be coming with us"  
No one's face was quite as expressive at Eren's, but instead of the happy dopey smile he was expecting the kids face fell  
"Something wrong?"  
"N-no sir..."  
"Eren if you have something to say, now's the time"  
"No. It's stupid... let me put my boots on and I'll be ready"  
Snorting at Eren's idea of ready, the teen was still dressed in his casual clothes  
"Eren, you'll need to be in full dress uniform. This is an official occasion"  
"Oh... right. I should change then..."  
Unlocking Eren's cell, Levi left the door open for the boy  
"I'll be waiting at the top of the stairs"

Eren took his sweet time getting ready, so long in fact that Levi nearly doubled back down the stairs to drag the boy up  
"About time"  
Eren bit his lip, the teen's body language screaming he didn't want to be there  
"What's wrong?"  
"Sir?"  
"Spit it out shitty brat. You know I don't like repeating myself"  
Instead of replying, the little shit started walking down the hall that would lead them out to where the others would be waiting. Teenagers were exhausting and tomorrow they'd be inundated by even more of them.

*  
By the time they set up camp for the night, Eren estimated they were roughly three-quarters of the way to the training academy and he couldn't deny he was less than thrilled about coming on this expedition. He'd been so excited about seeing all his friends again, but thanks to his own self-doubt, his excitement soon turned into an uncomfortable feeling that sat heavily in the bottom of his stomach. It had been two months since he'd left. Two months since he'd seen any of them... and with things the way they were, it may as well have been a lifetime. Basically, just because they had all been friends, it didn't mean they still thought of him like that. Poking at the fire in front of him, Eren sighed deeply  
"What's wrong?"  
"You're far too young to be sighing like that"  
Sighing again, he looked to Eld and Gunther  
"Just thinking about Mikasa and Armin"  
"They're your friends, right?"  
"Yeah. Best friends. We've been together for as long as I can remember"  
"Sounds nice. What are they like?"  
"Mikasa's... protective. She's my adoptive sister and Armin... Armin's like crazy smart. They're practically my family"  
"So she's your sister?"  
"Yeah. Her parents died when we were kids, so we took her in"  
They didn't need to know how her parents died... or that they'd both killed the people responsible for it... poking the fire with a stick of his own, Gunther nodded at his words  
"What about the other people in your class? Do you think we'll get many recruits?"  
"Captain Levi would know more about that than I do"  
"But still, you must be pretty excited for tomorrow?"  
"Maybe. Sir, can I go for a run?"  
Smooth. Very smooth. He really didn't want to talk about this... but surely he could have found a better way to excuse himself  
"Eren don't be stupid you need to stay where we can see you at all times"  
Clearing his throat, all eyes shifted to Levi  
"Stay close to camp, and take your jacket off before you go"  
"Sir!"  
"Petra, it's fine. I was going to scout out the area before we all went to sleep anyway. Gunther, why don't you go with him?"  
Open mouth. Insert foot. Oh well, maybe a walk would help.

"Sorry you got stuck with babysitting duty"  
Laughing happily, Gunther shook his head  
"It's fine, but you do realise we actually have to check the surrounding area before we head back"  
"Probably. Petra would kill me if we didn't"  
Gunther laughed again  
"Don't mind her. She's a good soldier and we've all lost a lot to wolves"  
"I know. I... I guess I just want people to see me for me"  
"Is that why you're so scared about seeing your friends again? In case they think you're a monster now?"  
"Maybe. I don't know"  
"If you're as close to Mikasa and Armin as you say, then there's nothing to worry about. Now, why don't you put that wolf side to good use?"  
"You don't mind?"  
"You can probably sniff out more than I can see"  
Shifting into his wolf form, Eren let the smells around them fill his senses. He knew he was probably imagining it, but he would almost swear he could pick up traces of his friend's scents. Perhaps because they were now so close to the training academy? It wouldn't be a that unusual if they had come out this far, they'd done it plenty of times when learning how to manoeuvre properly with their verticals manoeuvre gear. Whining softly, he tensed when a solid hand came to rest on his head  
"Wanna play fetch?"  
God Gunther was weird. Ignoring the man's joke, Eren slipped free. He could smell something else on the wind now, filling him with a horrible feeling about what was approaching.

*  
Fucking shitty werewolves. He should have listened to Erwin. He should have just said fuck the team building. He should have waited until the morning before heading out. Levi hadn't even heard them coming thanks to the increasing volume of Petra and Olou's bickering, so now they were neck deep in feral wolves. Slicing through the neck of the wolf going for the horses, he cast a glance over to where Eld and Petra were attempting to protect the horses  
"Untie them, then concentrate on the wolves. Olou, watch their backs"  
Turning his attention back to the "pack" leader, the alpha snarled as Levi's hold tightened on his blades. Where the fuck was Gunther and Eren?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind did an ear-splitting howl cut through the battle before Eren came barreling out the thicket of trees on the right of them. Having shifted into his Lycan form, Levi swore the teen's form was bigger than what was documented in all the records. He had a good head and a half on the alpha wolf that had been intent on making Levi dinner, but despite the situation, the kid should have known better than to shift. Howling again, Eren lunged across space, the Lycan grabbed the wolf closest to Petra. Lifting it into his hold, Eren didn't seem to think twice before tearing the wolf's throat out with a loud crunch of teeth gnawing against bone. Dropping the bleeding beast, the others with it turned on the teen. Even if he'd taken down that first wolf so easily, Eren now had 4 of them on him, driving him down onto the ground. Snarling and kicking, Eren gave as good as he got, and with the chaos of the moment, Eld was able to decapitate the first wolf, while Levi went after the alpha. Using his gear to throw himself up into the closets tree, the alpha snapped as his heels as he moved. They really weren't fucking prepared for this shit, and any other squad would have been dead by now  
"Get those wolves off Eren and get him out of here!"  
"We can't leave you, sir!"  
"Petra, do it!"  
Leaping off the branch he was standing on, Levi used his momentum to drive his blade straight down the alpha wolfs throat, jumping off the filthy beast, the werewolf howled in pain as it clumsily fought to pull the blade out. Throwing himself back up, he looped around the shitty mutt and brought his second blade down so as do half sever the beast's neck.

Watching the wolf fall forward, he let himself land lightly just out of the werewolf's reach. It's bloody, snapping muzzle was a revolting sight, so he felt no guilt over pulling his first blade-free slowly and carefully, before taking up his second blade to finish the decapitation. Fucking revolting. With his heart racing, Levi loved the way he could hear his own pulse throbbing in his ears. This wasn't a battle, not compared to some of the shit he'd been through, but his body craved this. He was hopelessly addicted to feelings that flooded him in moments like this, and nothing would ever make him feel so satisfied as decapitating this trash. With his eyes still narrowed, Levi sought out his teammates. Eren was still in his Lycan form. The wolves around him were all dead, but something still didn't feel right. Catching movement just shy of Petra, he didn't have the time to yell a warning to the moment. One moment she was standing there and the next she was sent flying backwards as Eren threw himself between her and a second alpha. With Olou, Eld and Gunther still close, Eren didn't have the room he needed to fight, not properly  
"Get back!"  
Lifting Eren, the alpha went for his throat as Eren tried to gouge out alohas eyes. It was a revolting sight to watch, the alpha trying to cannibalise Eren, while its bright red blood sprayed across the Lycan's face from the eye sockets Eren's claws were embedded in  
"Eren hold him still!"  
Snapping and snarling, Eren looked at him so coldly that Levi found himself unable to move. He was being clearly told that this alpha was his prey. Driving his body forward, Eren and the alpha crashed hard to the ground. Taken by surprise, Eren finally got the upper hand. Taking the top and bottom jaw in his hands, Eren pushed them cruelly apart until yet muscle and fibres tore. Letting out a pained howl, it was cut short with a crunch before the bottom jaw was ripped off entirely. Pulling back, Eren stumbled to his feet before letting out a long howl of victory. Something about the howl had Levi's vampire side so excited he wanted... no... he needed to drive his teeth into Eren neck and drain him dry. Licking his lips, he moved over to the teen, leaping easily onto Eren's back as he drove his blade into Eren's left shoulder  
"Shift back. Shift back or I'll slaughter you where you stand"  
Howling again, Eren hunched forward, before doing just that. With Levi's weight in him, the teen collapsed forward. Pulling the blade free, the kid didn't so much as twitch as it came free  
"Sir?"  
"He's out cold, find the cuffs. He needs to be cuffed for the night. Petra. Report?"  
"I'm fine sir! I used my gear before I hit the ground"  
"Good. Gunther? Eld? Olou?"  
"In one piece. Eren was trying to protect us, wasn't he?"  
"It looked that way, but we won't know until he wakes. How did you know to come?"  
"It was Eren. He smelt it before we were attacked. We would have been here sooner otherwise"  
"You know you're supposed to fire into the sky if you're in trouble"  
"I didn't have the chance. Eren had shifted before I knew what had happened. He took the two that went us out, before taking off this way"  
God. He didn't want to report any of this. Erwin wouldn't be happy at all  
"We can't stay here tonight. There's too much blood in the air. Petra, ride in the cart with Eren. Keep an eye on him"  
"Yes, sir!"

Leaving his squad packing up their camp, Levi stole a moment for himself. He needed to get his hunger back under control, and he was completely disgusted by what he was about to do. Running a finger along the blade covered in Eren's blood, he gathered enough to coat his finger thoroughly before bringing it to his lips. He wanted not to want this, but the blood was almost screaming at him to drink it down... yet once he did this, there would be no going back. Growling in frustration, Levi threw his blade down. He couldn't  
"Do you need to feed?"  
Almost embarrassed over the state he had been caught in, Levi said nothing as Eld came to stand in front of him. Silently the man offered his arm  
"Thank you"

Eld's blood was probably the worst tasting, but Levi honestly didn't care as he gulped it down. Traces of Eren's blood was on Eld's arm, changing the taste significantly as the boy's rich blood him moaning for more, but because it was so filling, it was over all too soon. Pulling back, Levi wiped his face and hands on his cravat  
"Is that enough?"  
"Yes. Thank you. How's Petra and Eren?"  
"Olou's fussing over Petra. Petra's fussing over Eren, and Eren's healing. He lost a fair amount by of blood, but the wound on his neck is mostly healed"  
Out of that, Levi's mind was stuck one things alone  
"Petra's fussing over Eren?"  
"It's funny how nearly dying for someone can change your opinion of them"  
Letting out a sigh, Levi went about straightening himself up and wiping his blades down  
"We'll head out immediately. I'll lead your horse, while Gunther leads Petra's. You take over the supply cart and I'll follow up the rear"  
He really hated the shitty cart, but the shitty recruits would have so many shitty possessions, which made it an unwanted necessity.

*  
Faces swayed above him, while the throbbing in his head was bad enough that he nearly threw up  
"I think he's waking up"  
"Eren? Eren can you hear me? It's me, Mikasa"  
Mikasa?... and Armin? Groaning as he tried to curl into a ball, a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him  
"Brat?"  
Levi? What the hell had happened? He felt worse than the time first he'd tried to spar with Annie  
"He's not a brat. He's my brother"  
Mikasa sounded pissed... shit... he really needed to try and process what the hell had happened  
"W-wolves?"  
"What did he say?"  
"I think he said wolves?"  
"Whys he asking about wolves?"  
"Eren, the wolves are dead. We're at the Military Training Academy"  
Oh... ok... so that's why Armin and Mikasa were there... that meant they made it. Good. That was good  
"Are you sure he's going to be alright? He still seems pretty out of it"  
"He lost a fair bit of blood in the attack, but he's already healed"  
How did Armin know about the attack? How long had been sleeping? Whining at the pain each thought brought, Eren scrunched his eyes closed as tightly as he could  
"Eren, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"  
"Of course he's in pain. Can't you smell it?"  
"No, he smells like wet dog still"  
"We'll have to carry him down to the cart. Everyone's already assembled and waiting to go"  
"Should I go ask Reiner to carry him?"  
"No, I'll carry him. You two get the door"  
Beneath him the bed disappeared, causing him to whine again  
"Eren, where does it hurt the most?"  
"My... head"  
"You had part of your throat torn out, including your right scent gland. It's grown back now"  
Scent gland... oh how he hated his stupid scent glands, though he hated knowing he was inconveniencing Levi even more. Feeling weaker by the second, he couldn't do anything but lay limply in his partner's hold, before finally passing out again.

The next time Eren woke, he found himself laying with his head in Armin's lap. Yawning as he rubbed at his face, he carefully sat up to find all eyes on him  
"About time you woke up. We all thought you were going to sleep the whole trip"  
"I almost wish I was still asleep, that way I wouldn't have to look at your horse face"  
"At least I'm not a suicidal bastard who nearly got killed by a pack of werewolves"  
"No, because no werewolf would want to choke on a horse like you"  
To his left, Mikasa let out a long sigh  
"Can't you two get along?"  
"Blame Eren, he started it"  
"You're the one who started it you shitty horse"  
"Eren, that's enough. How are you feeling?"  
"I'm fine. What did I miss?"  
With wise eyes, Sasha took his hands in hers  
"What did you miss? What did we miss? Is it true you guys were attacked by werewolves last night? Everyone's been talking about it"  
Narrowing his eyes, Eren looked around him  
"How come you guys aren't riding?"  
"We got special permission... and Jean fell off his horse yesterday"  
That didn't explain why Sasha and Connie were also there  
"Armin told Captain Levi that we needed Sasha and Connie to keep the peace. Is it true that you're really in his squad?"  
"Oh... what... umm yeah"  
He'd missed this. He'd missed this so much  
"You awake back there Eren?"  
"Yeah, Gunther. Is everyone alright?"  
"Yep! You shielded us from a second alpha. Petra spent the whole trip watching over you"  
"Petra?"  
"Yeah. Don't be surprised if she starts to fuss over you"  
Eren highly doubted that was going to happen anytime soon. The woman was probably back to hating him already  
"So, is it true?"  
"Is what true?"  
"They say that Captain Levi is a total tyrant"  
"Oh no... no. He's not. Maybe. When it comes to cleaning he is"  
"Cleaning?"  
"Yeah. We had to clean up the bunk rooms for you all. How many from our class joined?"  
"There's us four, and then there's Krista, Ymir, Reiner and Bertholdt"  
"Krista?"  
"Yeah. Annie didn't though. She joined the Military Police"  
"I thought that was Jean's plan too"  
"Shut up and mind your own business"  
Someone was touchy. Still, Eren was happy that so many of his friends had actually joined the Scouting Legion. He might hate Jean, but he'd missed Connie and Sasha. Despite how anxious he'd been, by the time the castle came into view, they'd all caught up on each other's news.


	11. Chapter 11

Eren was livid. No. He was beyond livid to the point where he had no words to describe the anger burning inside of him. He'd only just got his friends back, but thanks to shifting without permission, he was currently detained in his cell and forbidden from having any visitors. Erwin had called him foolish and reckless for shifting while unsupervised, despite the fact he'd pretty much saved Petra from dying. Alone in his cell, there was only so much he could take of his own company, and when Erwin's stupid goons came to take him up so he could use the toilet and take a shower, the men wouldn't even talk to him and he had to wear his cuffs. He was going crazy like this, and it was only the fourth day. Meaning he had another 6 to go.

Listening to the footsteps coming down the stairs, Eren rose to his feet. By his calculations, they were over an hour late tonight. Waiting as patiently as he could, it was an Erwin who came into view, followed by another man he didn't know. His heart dropped like a stone  
"Unlock his cell"  
Moving to do as the stranger said, Erwin looked less than impressed at being ordered around in his own castle. It was clear this stranger was a high ranking official, though Eren couldn't say if he was in the military or from the government. Either way, it really didn't bode well for him  
"He'll need to be muzzled for the walk"  
What walk? And since when did he need to be muzzled. Searching for some kind of clue, Erwin's face gave him nothing  
"Put your hands out"  
Doing as Erwin said, the shackles that connect to the wall were replaced with a set of ridiculously thick cuffs, the weight of which immediately began to hurt his wrists. Shit. His heart was already racing with fear  
"Open your mouth"  
Once again, he followed Erwin's orders, some kind of wire device was pushed into his mouth  
"Close"  
Upon doing so, he immediately found he couldn't open his mouth back up again. Despite that, Erwin still strapped the device into place, the man buckling it so the buckle was rubbing on the nape of his neck. Surely he didn't need these precautions. He would have followed any instructions he was given and he wasn't looking to cause any trouble  
"Walk"  
Where? What? 

With Erwin's hand on his shoulders, Eren was guided to Hanji's lab... only Hanji was absent. In her stead were a team of scientists dressed in long white coats  
"Get on the bed"  
He definitely wasn't going to like this.

*  
Having been denied access to Eren, Levi found himself incredibly irritated. Because they'd been attacked, the incident had made its way through the channels and up to the upper echelons of the government... but because no one but his squad knew what truly happened, whispers had warped and morphed the incident, eventually turning into Eren being the attacker. By the time the government contacted Erwin, they were convinced Eren couldn't be trusted, ignoring the statements they'd all given supporting the fact Eren had saved them. The kid hadn't really saved them, Petra maybe... but in whole, he'd been more of a distraction for the werewolves. Thanks to this, an elite squad from Military police had been dispatched to guard two government officials and a team from the governments own science division, and Levi had realised just how fucked Eren was.

"Levi, you're pacing"  
Glaring openly at Hanji, he didn't even know why his friend was in his room, let alone sitting on his bed. He knew Hanji was worried for Eren, but that didn't mean she had to be worried here  
"Sit down already"  
"How am I supposed to sit down when you're stinking my room up?"  
"I am not stinking your room up"  
"When was the last time you showered?"  
"This morning"  
"Really?"  
"Yes. I was kicked out my own lab, and I'm not allowed to work on any of my projects"  
Well, that was something... Looping back around, Levi paced over the same piece of floor for the umpteenth time that day.

When he refused to give up pacing, Hanji finally snapped. Grabbing him by the hand, the woman forcibly dragged him from the room  
"Shitty glasses, what the hell do you think you're doing?"  
"We're going outside"  
"Why are we going outside?"  
"Because if I have to watch you pace over that same piece of floor again, I honestly might just murder you. At least outside you hit something, or go for a run..."  
Hitting something actually sounded nice... running, not so much. He didn't know how to describe the sensation he was feeling over whatever was happening to Eren, only that it wouldn't leave him alone. Despite Erwin's harsh "penalties" for Eren shifting, the man really was trying to cover for Eren. By locking him away, he'd hoped the government would deem the punishment acceptable, and he'd even found a mission for them once Eren's time was served, as a kind of apology. Only there would be no mission if there was no Eren.

*  
With the device in his mouth, Eren couldn't even scream. If Hanji knew what was going on in her lab, the woman would have had a heart attack on the spot, but as it was, Erwin had been kicked out the room long before the real pain started. Standing in front of him, he'd been informed he was a beast and as such, he had no rights. They didn't even bother sedating him for their procedures, and if he could open his mouth, he'd beg for death. His teeth and nails had been pulled from his body, one by one. His scent glands had been cut from his body... all four, more than once. His body had been cut open, and his organs dissected while still inside of him. They tried to force him to shift, giving him all kinds of vile tasting concoctions... that he was sure were toxic. This was all in the name of science, as apparently, Hanji's work was sloppy. He was wide awake and stuck in an endless nightmare. Each time he tried to pass out, it would only be moments before he was brought back too. When he passed out from blood loss, they'd let him heal just enough before starting back on him. They called him a monster, but right now, they were far less human than he was.

It wasn't until his heat started that he was returned to his cell.

*  
"We can see him"  
Looking up from his breakfast, it took Levi a long moment to realise Hanji meant Eren. Having been hounded by the teen's friends over Eren's whereabouts, it was relieving to know he could finally send them off to see the brat themselves  
"Erwin wants me to assess him before questioning him..."  
But as the shitty officials hadn't left yet, Hanji wasn't allowed to visit Eren without "supervision". Ignoring the looks Eren's friends were casting their way, Levi left the rest of his squad in order to follow Hanji down to Eren's cell.

"Do you smell that?"  
Wrinkling his nose, there was way no that Levi didn't, Eren's sweet scents filled his nose, as felt himself growing aroused by the scent. Staggering as he fought to control his urges, Levi's shoulder grazed the wall as he fell to his knees  
"Hanji... I can't go down there. Eren's in heat"  
Shit. Shit. Shit. So what. They'd played with Eren until they'd forced him into a heat, before what... Just throwing him away like a broken toy?  
"Levi, will you be alright? Can you make it back to your quarters?"  
"Check on Eren, then report to me before you see Erwin"  
Staggering back up the stairs, each step fell heavily. It was like Eren's scent had wrapped its tendrils around his whole body in an attempt to drag him back down to Eren. The sensation was completely foreign, leaving Levi agitated over not being in full control of his body.

Levi was still in the shower when Hanji returned. The cold water had done nothing to cool the throbbing heat between his legs, while guilt gnawed at him the base of his stomach. Eren was just a kid and it was shameful the degree of want that had seemed to have infected him. But what was worse, was the fact his hand was still gripping his now spent erection  
"Levi!"  
Smacking his forehead against the shower wall, Levi forced down a deep breath  
"Give me a minute!"  
A minute turned to two and he was forced to face the fact he was about to face his friend while still hard. Turning off the shower, Levi wrapped his towel around his waist before gathering up his dirty clothes to hide his crotch. Emerging from his bathroom, he crossed straight to his bed  
"How was he?"  
Examining Hanji's face, he found her eyes red  
"What's going on? What happened?"  
"Eren's in heat"  
No. You don't say? Levi had just thought he'd smelt ridiculously good. Scolding himself for his sarcastic thoughts, now wasn't the time  
"Could he talk?"  
"Levi... Eren's bed was full of blood. His body has healed, and he wouldn't let me too close, but... there was just so much blood"  
Growling, Levi temporarily forgot himself as he leapt to his feet. Rushing to push him back down on the bed, Hanji stared into his eyes  
"Levi, you're not thinking straight. You need to stay away from Eren right now"  
"I'm not going anywhere. Why is scent so bad this time?"  
"I told you before, his scent is calling for a mate. He's gone through something extreme enough that his body is screaming for someone to rescue him and soothe him. Your strength is probably comparable to that of an alpha in his mind, meaning his wolf side sees you as an ideal candidate as a mate"  
Levi found another growl escaping his lips. Eren might have his ups and downs, but he'd stubbornly deny needing comfort if anyone was to pull him up on it  
"We can't let anyone down there with him at the moment"  
"I know... I'm going to request Erwin's permission to sedate him for the remainder of his heat. It'll give his brain time to process what he ever he's been through, and heal entirely as it does"  
"Good. Do it. We'll wait until his heats passed before waking him. This will give us time to clean through his cell"  
Hanji nodded  
"Do you need to feed?"  
"Yes... but see to Eren first"

Whatever they'd done to Eren, the brat had developed some kind of tolerance to the sedatives Hanji had tried to introduce into his system, leaving the teen awake to suffer through his heat. Hanji had stocked Eren's cell with food and water, while a new lock was fitted to the door leading down to Eren's cell. The lock required two keys being turned at the same time to unlock it, both of which were held by Levi and Erwin. None of Eren's friends was particularly impressed with not being allowed access to the teen, and Levi could sympathise to a degree. They'd seemingly joined the Scouting Legion after being swayed by Eren's words, only for Eren to go into isolation not even two weeks later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My loves! My loves! My loves!  
> I know I've been horribly slack at answering all your comments for a while now and I just wanna say I'm sorry. I love getting comments, like really love them, I just get all nervous about replying and my net has been crap too. I hit my mobile cap, and my phone wouldn't connect to the wifi.
> 
> I know you all want things for Eren to get better, I do to too... and they will. Maybe. Cough. You know me.

Waking to find himself in the middle of a bath, Eren couldn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing he could remember was... someone poking around inside his stomach. Bolting out the bath, he landed less than gracefully on the bathroom floor as his legs refused to hold him. With wide eyes, his whole body was gripped by panic. He hadn't been able to tell them anything. He didn't know anything. They'd come back... it would start all over again. Crawling and dragging his body across the floor, he cowered in the corner of the room. He didn't know where he was or where they were, but they were going to be so mad at him.

*  
"Did you hear that?"  
Looking across the table to Hanji, Hanji shook her head  
"Did I hear what?"  
"It sounded like water splashing"  
"Do you think Eren's awake?"  
"I'll check"  
Eren's heat had finally passed early that morning, so with the help of Erwin, they'd moved Eren up to Hanji's quarters for the time being. Given Levi still being affected by Eren's lingering scent, his squad was currently cleaning Eren's cell out, while both Levi and Hanji had been waiting for the boy to wake up. Rising from his seat, Levi nudged the bathroom door open with his foot. 

"Hanji, he's awake and he's freaking out"  
Eren looked like a drowned rat as he tried to become one with the wall behind him. The kid's scent was so filled with pain that Levi was by the teen's side before he even realised what he was doing. Hefting Eren into his lap, he took Eren's face in his hands  
"Eren!"  
Struggling for breath, Eren's eyes were glassy and unfocused  
"Eren! Look at me you shitty brat!"  
"Levi, he's scared. I don't think yelling at him is helping the situation"  
Grabbing a towel off the sink, Hanji wrapped it around Eren's shoulders  
"Eren, it's Hanji. You're ok now. I'm not going to hurt you"  
The moment Eren heard Hanji's voice, the teen let out a whimper  
"Shhhh, hey, it's ok"  
Squatting down to wrap her arms around him, it was a small eternity before Eren wrapped his own arms around the woman  
"I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"  
"Shhhh, you've done nothing wrong. Levi, help me get him to bed"  
That was easier said than done. Eren's hands were gripping the fabric of Hanji's shirt so tightly that his knuckles were white. Pretty much carrying Eren as Hanji walked backwards, they managed to get the pair onto Hanji's bed, where Eren slumped over unconscious immediately  
"What the fuck was that?"  
He knew full well what that was. He'd seen it before. Something inside Eren had been broken badly... badly enough that waking up in a bathtub had triggered a panic attack  
"Let's get him dried and into bed first, then we can worry about why he freaked"

Having basically manhandled Eren into a set of casual clothes, the teen was now sleeping in Hanji's bed. Even asleep Eren looked terrified  
"Hanji, do you have any ideas about the tests they did to him?"  
"Maybe. I don't know though... I never thought they go this far..."  
"Shitty glasses I am so not in the mood for guessing games"  
"Well, if we look at it from their point of view, Eren is a beast. I imagine they performed every test they could think of under the pretence that Eren was an untrained animal. They couldn't go ahead and test on him the moment he'd first shifted as he was taken straight into custody before Erwin saved him. Him shifting without permission meant they could say he was a feral animal..."  
Levi really hoped she wasn't saying what he thought she was, but it would explain why Eren freaked the hell out  
"Erwin should be notified"  
"No"  
Surprised by his blunt answer, Hanji frowned  
"If they tortured him..."  
"Then they'll be waiting for Erwin to lodge a complaint. It'll bring his leadership further into question when he's already under investigation. They could very well use this to push Erwin out of his post"  
"It's not like Erwin is going to complain. He needs to know that Eren isn't mentally stable right now. You've already had to delay the mission because of this"  
"Hanji, if you went through what he did, would you want to be in the castle right now? Or would you want out?"  
"I'd want out"  
"Exactly. I never had to go through what he has because my condition was never published, but I wouldn't want to be here either. We'll let him sleep, and when he wakes we'll talk to him before Erwin can"  
Hanji wasn't happy about his decision but still nodded her consent. Nobody could deny that having Eren here made life interesting, but it would nice to catch a break once and a while.

*  
Having slept like the dead, Eren woke a little before sunrise. Hanji was still snoring her head off as Eren climbed from the bed  
"Eren"  
Rubbing his arms, Eren sank back down on the bed as he looked to him  
"Sir?"  
"How are you feeling?"  
"I'm alright sir. Why am I here? And where am I?"  
"I know Hanji never leaves her lab, so I'm not surprised you've never been to proper quarters before. As for why you're here, you went into heat, so brought you here for some privacy"  
Eren didn't even blush at the word heat. Normally the kid would be beet red  
"Oh. Thank you, sir. I'm sorry for being such a pain. It won't happen again"  
It was nice that Eren was talking, but his tone left Levi frowning  
"Eren, if something's happened, you can tell me. Hanji said your bed was covered in blood"  
"Was it? I don't remember"  
Bullshit. Eren was lying  
"Eren"  
"I'm sorry sir. I don't remember"  
"Then do you remember what happened? What the government scientists did to you?  
"No!"  
The denial was fast and hard... which obviously meant yes  
"Eren, you need to tell me what they did"  
"I don't remember"  
"Eren..."  
"I don't remember sir. I'm sorry for being such an inconvenience... I should go back to my cell, I shouldn't be out"  
"It's fine"  
"It's not fine. I'm an animal. Animals don't sleep in human beds sir"  
"You're not a fucking animal"  
Eren tilted his head as if actually confused, filling Levi with disgust. They might not have been "friends", but he'd just got to a good place with the kid, now he was going to have to start all over again  
"Given you're awake, Erwin will want to see you. Can you walk?"  
"Yes sir"

Walking through the corridor, they'd barely made it to the next floor before Eren was hiding behind him  
"Eren!"  
Watching Eren's best friends running their way, both teens launched themselves on Eren the moment they were close enough  
"Where have you been?! It's been two weeks! Are you alright? They wouldn't tell us anything at all"  
Mikasa paused to throw a dirty look in Levi's direction before pulling back from Eren and looking him up and down  
"You've lost weight. What happened?"  
Eren let out a sigh  
"I'm alright Mikasa. It was just a cold, because of my wolf side I was little dangerous, but I'm alright"  
Armin hummed, the kid clearly doubting Eren's story  
"Are you sure you're really alright? You smell all different too"  
"Oh, I had a bath..."  
"No, I mean you smell different. Less like wet dog, and more kind of... sweet but almost like our blades"  
"Armin, you're imagining things. It was just a cold"  
Grabbing Eren by the collar, Levi pulled him past his two friends  
"Sorry to break up this touching reunion, but Eren is due in Erwin's office now that he's recovered"  
"But he's only just..."  
"Mikasa it's alright. I'll catch up with you and Armin later"  
"Eren..."  
"It's alright. I just need to go see Erwin now"  
Leaving the pair of them behind, Levi fell half a step behind Eren as they walked. Everything about Eren felt so off, even down to the way Eren walked. He couldn't shake the horrible feeling he had about this.

Knocking twice, Levi opened the door just as Erwin called out to "enter", hovering by the door, it seemed like Eren really didn't want to go in. Shoving Eren into the room, the teen stumbled before straightening himself up  
"Eren, it's nice to see you up and moving. Take a seat"  
"I..."  
Shaking his head, Eren cut his own sentence short as he moved to sit  
"How are you feeling? Has Hanji examined you"  
"Hanji's sleeping. Eren woke up before she did, so I brought him straight here"  
"I see. I guess you would have physically healed"  
"Yes sir"  
"I suppose you know why you're here? I wanted to talk to you about the examination procedures you went through last week"  
"I don't remember"  
Erwin frowned as he leant forward  
"Eren, I can read the reports, but I would rather hear it from you"  
The lie rolled smoothly off Erwin's tongue, and Eren had no idea he'd just been lied to  
"I don't remember sir"  
"Eren"  
"I don't remember!"  
The room fell silent at Eren's angry outburst. Drawing his knees to his chest, Eren shook his head  
"I don't remember... they drugged me up... It's all blurry"  
"What can you remember?"  
Eren shook his head as he hid his face against his knees  
"They... they wanted samples..."  
"Samples?"  
"Blood, hair, teeth and fingernails..."  
Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust  
"And inside..."  
"Inside?"  
Eren nodded without raising his head  
"Both in human and wolf form... but I don't remember what they said or everything they did. I'm sorry"  
"Alright. Enough of that for now. Once Hanji clears you, you will be heading out on your next mission"  
"Erwin... I don't think he's ready for a mission right now"  
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. Sorry sir"  
Eren's lies came off his tongue just as smoothly as Erwin's had, except Erwin knew Eren was lying. A mission was the last thing Eren needed and it was bleedingly obvious  
"A village to the west of us has been having trouble. A number of travellers in the region have gone missing, with no traces left behind. If wolves were involved, it would stand to reason there would be some kind of evidence, bodies, bones, belongings... in any case, you'll be investigating these disappearances. In addition to your squad, Mike will be providing backup with the new recruits"  
"Will we need back up?"  
As far as Levi knew, it had been just the two of them heading off to investigate a few simple disappearances. This wasn't what they'd discussed at all... it wouldn't be a far reach to imagine that with the government breathing down Erwin's neck, the man had to cover his arse  
"It'll be a valuable training lesson for the new recruits, and if anything happens, they'll be there. We won't lose time sending out reinforcements if something goes wrong. I've already made the arrangements, and you'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning"  
"Yes, sir. Is it alright if I go back to my cell now?"  
"Yes. Levi, make sure he makes it back down there alright"  
Erwin must be worried about Eren's condition, otherwise, his friend would never have phrased the order like that. Walking over to Eren's side, Levi placed his hand on his Eren's shoulder, only for the teen to immediately spring off the chair as if he'd been shocked  
"Relax brat, it's just me"  
"Sorry, sir... I wasn't expecting..."  
Taking a deep breath, Eren shook his head before saluting Erwin  
"You're dismissed"

Mikasa and Armin were waiting for Eren by the entrance down to the cells. With Eren's heat over, there was no need to keep the door locked anymore, but both teens seemed to accept they weren't supposed to head down there without permission. Leading the three brats down to Eren's cell, Levi unlocked the door before looking to them  
"You have until Hanji comes to catch up, but Eren, I'm afraid you'll need to be cuffed"  
"You can't do that! Eren would never hurt us"  
Mikasa sounded pissed, probably because in the few weeks before Eren's heat they'd been allowed to visit Eren without him being chained like an animal  
"Mikasa, it's fine.Captain Levi's just doing his job"  
"By treating you like an animal?"  
"I kind of am an animal..."  
"You're not animal. Don't you dare talk about yourself like that"  
"What else do you call something that turns into a bloodthirsty monster?"  
Biting his lip, Armin looked worried as he hugged himself  
"Eren... something happened didn't it?"  
"No"  
"Eren"  
"Drop it Armin! Sir, can you please put my cuffs on? I'm pretty tired still..."  
Crossing to his bed, Eren gathered his chains into his lap, before holding his wrists out. If it wasn't for the fact he knew he had no chance of kicking Eren's two friends out without a fuss, Levi would have forced Eren to talk. Even if it meant smacking some sense into him. Moving to sit on the edge of Eren's bed, Levi went about slowly putting Eren's cuffs on him and locking them firmly in place  
"Thank you..."  
"You shouldn't be thanking me"  
"But I'm an animal... this is what I deserve"  
Their words were low enough that Mikasa and Armin couldn't have heard the exchange  
"You'll be riding with me tomorrow, we'll talk then"  
"There's nothing to talk about sir. I'm sorry for inconveniencing both you and Hanji"  
No... on second thoughts, their talk really couldn't wait until tomorrow  
"You'll need to leave while Hanji examines him, but you have permission to stay after that until lights out. Eren, I'll bring your dinner down"  
The kid was probably starving, though, from the looks of it, one of his squad members had gone to the effort of restocking Eren's small supply of food and water. They'd done a fairly good job cleaning his cell out, there was still some dirt and grime, but Eren's smell had been replaced with that of vinegar instead  
"If anything happens, you're to notify Hanji immediately, and you leave early, make sure the door is locked properly"  
"You make it sound like Eren's some kind of wild beast"  
"The doors are as much for Eren's protection as ours. Not everyone is convinced Eren is fighting for humanity, and there's no end to the line of people who want him dead"  
As if finally struck dumb, Mikasa shot him a cold glare instead of a verbal reply  
"I'll leave you too it"

*  
Having been stuck listening to Hanji rant about how he should've woken her up, she took her sweet time to finally get to her point. In her professional opinion, Eren should not be going out tomorrow's mission. He might be physically healed with no signs of what was done to him, but his mental health a whole other story. The teen had it in his head that he was nothing more than a pet to be used how his superiors wanted. Levi bit down the urge to sigh in resignation. A blind man could see Eren shouldn't be going on this mission, but despite her assessment, Erwin was still sending them out. Having left Eren on his own, she'd accidentally made enemies of Mikasa by insisting Eren needed to rest. In reality, Eren didn't want to see his friends, so Hanji had tried to cover for him.

Having been filled in from Hanji, Levi waited a few hours before heading down to organise Eren's dinner. Hanji had tried to get the kid to eat, but apparently, Eren wasn't hungry. Levi wasn't buying it. The kid had barely touched his food during his heat, and he doubted the government scientists would have taken breaks to make sure the kid ate. Loading up a large bowl of stew, Levi then placed a buttered roll and some sliced apple on the tray he was taking down. Looking down at the meal, he felt like something was missing. Tea. He didn't know if the brat liked tea, but even if he didn't want to eat, something warm would probably help to improve the kid's mood. Pouring two cups of strong black tea, Levi sweetened Eren's with honey. He seemed the type would prefer something sweet to something bitter. Finally ready, he nodded to himself in approval.

Unlocking Eren's cell door, the kid was clearly awake but made no effort to roll over and face him. Slightly annoyed at being ignored, Levi placed the tray of food down before sitting on the edge of Eren's bed  
"Brat, it's time to eat"  
"'m not hungry"  
"Too bad. We have a mission tomorrow, and I need you in top shape"  
"Do I have to go?"  
"Go where?"  
"On the mission"  
"Yes. Those are Erwin's orders"  
Levi was the first to admit he was shit at comforting people and playing the sympathetic shoulder, so seeing Eren like this, it probably angered him more than it should have  
"Are you really going to just lay there? What happened to killing all the werewolves?"  
"That was before..."  
"Before what?"  
"Before I realised how completely useless I am"  
"Do you want me to tell you that you aren't? Do you want me to tell you that you're a shit soldier? I'm not going to give you sympathy when you're begging for it like this. It's pathetic"  
Rolling over to glare at him, he'd found the right nerve to press  
"Laying here like you're a victim. You're not a victim Eren, you're part of the problem. You're a Lycan and you're dangerous. You bring chaos and confusion and it would be better if you just disappeared..."  
"Then why are you here? Why are you treating me like I'm human! I'm not! I'm an animal! An animal!"  
Eren's scent spiked sharply, the teen clearly angry and upset  
"So you want to be treated like an animal? Do you want to sleep on the floor? Should I put a collar on you? Take you for a walk? Kill and eat you when you're no longer useful? Because that's what we do with animals Eren"  
"I..."  
"You what? You still think you're an animal?"  
"They said I was..."  
"Who? Who said you were?"  
He knew who Eren meant, but it meant nothing if Eren couldn't say it out loud  
"Them... when they experimented on me. They told me I didn't know my place and it was disgusting that everyone was treating me like I was human... They were right..."  
"I had the feeling you remembered"  
Eren looked genuinely shocked  
"You're about a century too soon to think I believe your lies. What did they do Eren?"  
Eren's breath hitched, and the teen flinched  
"Eren, what did they do?"  
"I... I don't... I can't..."  
Grabbing Eren by the shoulders, he forced himself to ignore the way the teens breathing had shifted to small pants as if he was struggling to breathe  
"What did they do?"  
"They cut me up! They cut me up... they cut off my fingers! My toes! Then arms and legs... all to see how long they took to grow back... they pulled out my teeth, one by one, and then my fingernails. They cut my stomach open and dug around inside! And I... I was awake! The drugs... they stopped working and I felt it all! I heard it all!"  
Flying off the bed before Levi could stop him, Eren was yanked back by his chains, causing the boy to fall face first on the floor. Swallowing down nausea caused by the boys screamed revelation, Levi moved to place his hand on the small of Eren's back  
"Don't touch me! I don't want to be touched! I'm dirty! I'm wrong! They taught me how wrong I am..."  
"Eren..."  
"Just leave. Leave before you end up as wrong as I am"  
"I'm not leaving you. Now get up so we can talk"  
"I don't want to talk"  
"Too bad. I want to know everything they did to you"  
"No... you don't"  
"Eren, I might be your commanding officer, but I am also your assigned partner. You need to tell me"  
"Why? So you can run off and tell everyone?"  
Sweet Wall Rosa. Dealing with teenagers was more trouble than it was worth... though Eren was definitely entitled to the breakdown he was having right now. Erwin would blow his top if he knew, and while Hanji might have wanted to perform all those kind of experiments, the woman would never put a self-aware wolf through all that, well not without any kind of sedation. Eren body was probably working on overdrive, meaning there was little wonder why the sedatives Hanji tried to use hasn't worked  
"Tell me what happened"  
"I did"  
Finally pulling himself up, Eren stood awkwardly facing the bed  
"Sit down"  
"Sir..."  
"Sit!"  
Sinking down, Eren buried his face in his hands  
"When did I become so weak? All I ever wanted was to end up here and to kill the werewolves, but now..."  
"You've always been weak. We're all weak and lacking in some way"  
"When I saw my mum being eating, I couldn't do anything... I let her die!"  
"You think you're the only one who feels like that? You're not. You need to move beyond this"  
"How! I can still feel the blades cutting through my skin. I close my eyes and I can see their faces and I can hear my own screams. I can see them peeling off my skin..."  
There was no warning as Eren threw up across the floor. Honestly, Levi was surprised the kid had anything left to throw up, and that he hadn't thrown up sooner. What he'd been through was a hell of a lot for any soldier to go through, let alone a shitty brat  
"I don't want to feel then anymore!"  
Ignoring the disgusting way Eren wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, Levi rose and moved to the kid's wardrobe  
"Sir?"  
"You can't sleep here now you've made a mess. Just sit still while I grab what you need for the mission"  
"I'm sorry... I'll clean it up..."  
"You're dehydrated, malnourished and sick. Tonight you'll stay in my private quarters, because I don't trust leaving you alone down here"  
"Sir! You can't! I belong down here!"  
"Shut up already"

Ignoring the need to pack neatly, Levi stuffed everything he thought Eren would need the kid's bag. After Eren fell asleep, he'd satisfy his urges and repack everything properly. Once done packing, he moved to Eren's side, giving the vomit wide berth as he did  
"Arms out"  
"What?"  
"I need to take your cuffs off"  
"But..."  
"You need to carry the tray"  
Eren's eyes flicked towards the tray  
"I can't carry the tray and the lamp"  
He could. Quite easily in fact. But that would leave Eren trailing behind him like a lost puppy  
"Sir... I can just sleep here. I don't want to cause you any trouble"  
"Then shut up and follow me"

The idea of having Eren, or anyone for that matter, in his space, let alone his bed left him wrinkling his nose in disgust. His personal space was being invaded by another's shitty germs, yet this was what Eren needed right now  
"Don't you dare think about shedding across my bed, and you can sit at the desk to eat"  
Nodding silently, Eren sank down into Levi's desk chair, but openly ignored the food in front of him  
"Eat"  
"I don't think I can"  
"Either you eat or I shove it down your throat"  
Snorting at his words, his "intimidation" tactics hadn't worked  
"Something funny?"  
"Just you sir... every time you do something kind, you always have to follow it up with some kind of threat... it's nice"  
Nice? Threatening people was nice? Letting out a snort of his own, Levi shook his head  
"You're crazy. You know that right?"  
"I've been called worse. Jean used to call me a suicidal bastard"  
"Which one's Jean?"  
"The one with the two-tone hair"  
"The one who looks like a horse"  
Eren's face reddened at his description  
"Yeah... I don't know what it is, but he'd hated me from day one"  
"He wouldn't have followed you over here if he hated you"  
Levi didn't expect his words to bring their conversation to such an abrupt end. Taking his now cold cup of tea, Levi drained it, staring pointedly at Eren the teen finally picked up an apple slice, before nibbling on it  
"Eat, and then get some sleep"  
"Sir... where are you going to sleep?"  
"I don't need to sleep"  
"Yes, you do! You can't go out of your way for me"  
"Eren. I still need to prepare to leave tomorrow"  
"But..."  
Eren's breathing was growing erratic again, and Levi's hard work was going right out the window  
"You sleep in the bed, I'll take the chair"  
"You should take the bed"  
"I will knock you out if you don't stop"  
Eren opened and closed his mouth, before looking away  
"Sorry, sir. I'll do as you say"

Despite all his protesting the minute Eren curled up in his bed, he was out like a light. Clutching Levi's pillow close to him, only served to make the teen look much more vulnerable than he really was. Resisting the urge to brush Eren's shaggy fringe back from his face, he pulled the thicker blanket from the end of the bed up and over Eren's shoulders. Was there ever going to come a time when living with Eren around wasn't so... busy?


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I've been writing Klance... I can't help myself... I need my wayward son!

The morning was not going to plan at all. Having fallen asleep after packing for himself, and repacking Eren's things, Levi had woken to the sunlight pouring through his window and Petra knocking on his door. The sudden wakeup wasn't appreciated by Eren in the slightest, the teen all but flying off the bed as he shifted into his normal wolf form  
"Eren, relax. It's just Petra"  
Padding over to open the bedroom door, he could feel Eren's eyes on his every move  
"Good Morning sir"  
"Come on in Petra"  
"It's ok sir, I was just wondering if you knew where Eren was? We went to bring him down breakfast, but his cell was open"  
"He's here. We were up late packing last night"  
"Oh good, that's alright than sir. We were a little worried... especially when you didn't show up at breakfast"  
"Everything's fine. We'll both be down soon"  
Petra took the gentle hint, excusing herself without really paying any attention to Eren. If she'd been down to Eren's cell, she'd know that Eren was sick at some point, and no doubt assumed that was the real reason the kid was in his room. Closing the door, Levi looked to find Eren still cowering in the corner of the room  
"You can shift back now. I'm going to take a shower"

After that everything should have just fallen into place, only that wasn't quite what happened. He'd returned from his shower to find Eren sitting next to the bed... while still in his wolf form  
"Eren, we don't have time for this. Shift back and shower already"  
Letting out a whine, Eren lowered himself to the ground, placing his head on his two paws   
"I don't speak wolf brat"  
Rising to his feet, Eren shook his head  
"Eren, what are you trying to tell me?"  
They seriously didn't have time for this. Rising to his back legs, Eren wobbled as he shook his head again  
"Are you trying to tell me you can't shift back?"  
Nodding his head, Eren let out a long whine  
"Seriously?"  
Nodding again, Eren let out a huff  
"We don't have time for this. I get that Petra probably scared you, but we need to go"  
Walking over to their bags, Eren picked his up with his mouth  
"That's not going to work. Put it back down and I'll carry both of them"

Walking through the corridors everyone stared at him and Eren. Not bothering with an explanation, Levi scowled at anyone who even hinted at asking what why he was being followed by wolf. This was fucking ridiculous. If Eren wanted to run around as a wolf, that was his business, he might be going through a rough time, but now they needed to be professional now.

Thanks to Eren being in his wolf form, the kid was riding in the cart with Mike's squad instead of riding his horse like a the rest of Levi's squad. Eren seemed pretty happy about it though, both Mikasa and Armin were there, as were horseface Jean and two other new recruits. One of which had wrapped her arms around his wolf form, and hadn't let go since. Given they still had a 5 day ride ahead of them, Levi opted to take his squad ahead. If anything happened to Eren, he was confident in Mike's skill to pacify the teen... besides, he also doubted Eren would cause any trouble with his friends so close.

It was another day and half before the teen finally shifted, but even after Eren had finally shifted back, Levi left him with Mike's squad until the afternoon before they were supposed to infiltrate the village. Leaving Mike's squad half a day's ride away, they made camp that night with the village lights in plain view. Running over the plan again, Levi felt like a moron. According to Erwin, he and Petra were married, while Eren was their child. That was never going to work. Changing the plan, Eren was now going in with Eld and Petra, the teen playing Eld's younger brother and Petra as Eld's wife. Olou didn't seem particularly happy about it, but biting his tongue brought his complaints up short.

 

*  
This was a stupid plan. A stupid plan that probably wouldn't have been so stupid if Eren hadn't been so sleep deprived. Sharing a tent with Levi was more than a little stressful, especially after being stuck in his wolf form for days. It wasn't like he hadn't wanted to shift back, but no matter how hard he'd tried, he couldn't. Trailing a few steps behind Petra and Eld, Eren tried to take notice of everything he was smelling. There was definitely something odd in the air, but he wasn't given enough time to process it all. Unlike the village in the south, the whole place felt wrong and creepy. Wrapping his arms around himself, he cast a glance around. It was like everyone was watching them while holding their collective breaths.

Unlike the village to the south, the inn here was little more than a house with a bar. Still, the woman behind the counter was cheerful enough as she took Eld's money for lunch and a room, though she was talking to Eld, her gaze was on Eren the whole time and the teen felt his face growing hot. If he wasn't who he was, he might have even thought she was flirting with him. Keeping his mouth closed, Eren followed Petra to a table, while Eld waited for their drinks. Moving her chair beside him, Petra took his hand in hers  
"What's wrong?"  
"I don't know..."  
"I know you'd probably prefer being with Levi, but this isn't too bad... right?"  
"It's not that, it's this whole village. Something about it feels wrong"  
"Wrong?"  
"Yeah. Don't you feel it?"  
"It's quiet, but it's not unpleasant"  
Joining the table, Eld placed down their three drinks   
"Well she likes you Eren. She wanted to know all about my little brother"  
"Eld, Eren was just saying there was something wrong in this village. Do you feel it?"  
"I felt like I was being watched when we came in"  
Eren nodded quickly   
"That's what I mean, and there's something in the air..."  
"After lunch, you talk to the barmaid. Flirt a little and see if you can get anything out of her"  
"I-I've never flirted before"  
Eld snorted lightly   
"There's a first time for everything. Petra and I will wait in our room, so come there once you're done"

Placing their lunch of stew down, the barmaid brushed her ample chest across Eren's shoulder as she leant in to place his cutlery down   
"Here you go cutie. You smell really nice"  
Both fearful and flustered over what happened, Eren didn't put two and two together over what she'd just said. Trying to calm himself back down, he couldn't breathe easy until the woman had pulled back completely   
"Eren, are you ok? You're very pale"  
Nodding, Eren took a deep breath   
"Sorry. Um... should we eat?"  
"If there's something wrong, you can tell us. Does it have something to do with you being in your wolf form?"  
"Kind of. I don't want to talk about it"  
Eld and Petra looked to each other, as if silently communicating, before both gave a small nod  
"Let's just eat"

The stew tasted bad... really, really bad. It wasn't a burnt taste, but it was enough to put Eren off his food, while Petra and Eld didn't notice. Chatting away with each other, Eld let out a yawn  
"I think I need a nap"  
"Me too. Eren, will you be alright?"  
His two seniors wanted to nap? Watching them rise, Petra and Eld both fell. Around him the whole room fell silent, and Eren was torn as his mind raced. He had to help both his fellow squad members, but if the three of them were drugged, he needed to act like he was normal. Why did this shit have to happen when he was alone? Slumping forward, it seemed like he'd chosen the right course of action, as soon rough hands hefted him from his seat   
"Save that one for last, he smells the best"  
"Flash a cute smile and men will tell you anything"  
"Your looks are about the only thing you have going for you. Now check their belongings and burn whatever we can't use"  
"You don't need to tell me what to do, just make sure you convey my loyalty to the prime"  
To the prime? The prime what?

 

*  
Waiting until the night, Levi, Gunther and Olou slipped into what should have been a sleeping village. Instead all the shops were open, and people milled in the street. Picking up an uncomfortable feeling, Levi's skin erupted in goosebumps  
"Sir, do we pull back?"  
"I don't think we have much choice. There's something wrong here, these people should all be sleeping"  
"I feel like we're being watched"  
"Yeah. We'll wait until tomorrow morning before making contact with Petra's group. It'll be easier to pose as travellers then"  
"What about the others?"  
"They're together. If anything happens, Eld will get them out"  
"Do you think something's going to happen?"  
"I think we need to be on our toes"

Having waited until morning, the remnants of Levi's squad took their time getting ready before heading into the village. Unlike the previous night, it was dead now. Completely silent, and all curtains firmly closed. With Eren's lingering scent, Levi frowned at the other scent in the air. Blood. Not fresh blood, but still blood  
"Be on guard. There's blood in the air"  
Subtly rearranging his gun beneath his cloak, Gunther nodded   
"Understood. We'll follow your lead"

Walking into the small inn, Eren's scared scent hung in the air. Pushing his concerns aside, Levi walked up to the barmaid   
"Good morning, I'm hoping you can help me out. Yesterday we came across a couple of travellers heading this way, and they mentioned there might be jobs going here"  
The old woman frowned at him, before coughing in his face. Thoroughly disgusted, Levi forced himself not to slam her face down on the counter   
"No jobs around here"  
"Really? Then perhaps they've passed through? A small woman with two brothers?"  
Appearing from the room behind the bar, a young woman looked him up and down   
"Oh, you just missed them. They said they were going to take a look around before heading on. If you leave now, you might be able to catch up with them"  
So she knew they were missing... Did she know who they were? Eld was a sucker for a pretty woman  
"Really? That's a shame. I'll take three ales then"  
"Don't you want to find your friends?"  
"I wouldn't call them friends. No, we'll take a drink please"

Sitting at the table that smelt most like Eren, Levi waited until Gunther and Olou were settled   
"They made it here. I can smell Eren and the brat was scared"  
"Can we trust him?"  
"Trust that he was scared?"  
"He was running around as a wolf, and was more than happy to ignore the mission in favour for his friends"  
"It's fine. We didn't come across any werewolves, and it's not often we work with Mike's squad. What did you make of them?"  
"Eren's friend Mikasa reminds me a lot of you. Any chance you're related?"  
Given he didn't know his own lineage, Levi could only shrug   
"No idea, but I noticed that too"  
"He seemed really happy with them"  
"Gunther, you can't just excuse Eren's behaviour like that. If he's let anything happen to Petra and Eld..."  
Raising his mug his lips, Olou swallowed the ale down in long gulps  
"I'm sure they're all together and they'll be fine. Let's just sit here and see what we hear"

With the dismal morning trade, they picked up nothing as they sat. It wasn't until half a dozen ales later that they finally left the table. The moment he stood, Levi's world span. Gripping the table, he was the first to fall, with the taste of copper in his mouth. They'd been fucking drugged. Normally drugs didn't work on him, or rather they didn't work to the same degree as others. So whoever had drugged them had no idea that in about half an hour, they'd be dealing with a very pissed off vampire.

 

*  
Ignoring the cramping pain from being strung up in chains, Levi remained quiet as he glanced around the space they were all confined in. To his left Olou and Gunther, to his right Petra and Eld, all of which seemed to still be unconscious... they all seemed to be intact, but given how his teeth were aching, there had to be blood in the air... somewhere under all the dust and the stench of wet hay. This place was totally revolting, and to make matters worse, Eren was missing.


	14. Chapter 14

Keeping his chin to his chest, Levi played at being unconscious. His arms had finally gone past painful and started to go into uselessly numb and his fangs were pulsing with the need to feed on whatever delicious scent was finally reaching his nose. It was a struggle. His instincts telling him to free himself, to find the source of the smell and to drink every last sweet drop. That wasn't the only issue. The scent had him rock hard. Aroused to a degree that went beyond normal blood lust, he wanted to be covered in that sweet red blood. Shit. This wasn't working. If he gave in any further to his blood lust, he wasn't going to be able to rescue his team. Casting a glance to make sure they were all still unconscious, Levi gripped the rusted hook with one hand, lifting his entire weight as he did so as to free the chain enough to unhook it, before dropping lightly to the floor. If they were anything like he'd suspected they were, he could be expecting unwanted visitors any second now. Without the tension of the hook caught in the chain links, it was laughably easy to slide them from his wrists, before carefully placing them down on the floor. Leaving the others chained up, Levi crept across the barn, wincing as one of the floorboards creaked loudly. If they didn't know he was awake and moving before, they certainly did now. Rushing to stand beside the closed door, Levi held his breath, listening closely as footsteps finally came close. This would be so much better if he had his blades.

Irritatingly slow the door handle turned, the door groaning as it opened. With his stance lowered, Levi narrowed his eyes. There wasn't time for mercy or questions, not now that he could clearly smell that their captors were indeed the same breed as him. Logically he knew he couldn't be the only one, but to have fallen prey to a whole nest of them. He was going to need a hell of a lot of luck to get them all out of this alive   
"Ones down! Alert the others!"  
Shoving the door, the first vampire stumbled, separated from his shitty yelling friend. Going straight for the throat, Levi wrapped an arm securely around the vampires neck, while kicking his knee out, dropping the man halfway to floor. Kicking out the second knee, his grip shifted, grabbing the man by the cheek as he wrenched violently, snapping the man's neck like it nothing. The whole process over in less than an instant, the vampire dead on the floor before he'd even realised. One down...

Behind him the door bounced back open, three more vampires lunging at him  
"I don't care what she says, you're so fucking dead"  
"I would rather be dead than spend another moment on this hovel you call a home. Didn't anyone ever teach you to be careful, and not to draw attention"  
"The only attention we've drawn is yours, and you'll be dead soon. Just like that brown haired brat. Did you taste him? His blood isn't like anything we've ever had. We wanted to make a real meal of him, but she says we need to wait"  
"Who is she?"  
Conversation was up. All three coming for him at once, and they definitely had the advantage. They were all freshly fed, where he was weakened and becoming hungrier by the second, the blood dripping from his attackers lips and teeth stirring his base hunger as it was redder more appealing than he'd known possible. With no need to hold back and the unspoken works that the loser would be decided by death, Levi lashed out. Dodging and weaving, striking without mercy. He might have been smaller than them, but he knew how to use his body to his advantage, and he knew how to deliver the killing blow without feeling guilt. Tearing the throat out of the first victim with his teeth, that beautiful blood graced his lips, its taste over ridding the taste of trash. He knew the instant it touched his tongue that it belonged to Eren. No wonder he'd been so drawn to it. No wonder the others had drunk it down greedily as they'd scoffed their meal. All it took was the smallest of drops to feed the fire that burned inside his kind. Tearing the dead vampires knife from his hand, he rounded the others with a growl. Both standing their looking like idiots now that their brother had been felled. They hadn't expected this. They the breed of gutter trash that made up for their short comings with numbers, much less skilled than he'd originally perceived. Laughing in a kind of hysterical delight, Levi leapt forward, striking out he did. The knife slipped through the second vampires throat as if sliding through butter, and bright arterial spray rained down on him. It was revolting and exhilarating. He didn't have to hide his true nature. Turning to run, the third vampire barely took three steps before Levi jumped on him, driving the blade down into his nape like one would with a werewolf. Screaming in pain, it's body collapsed beneath him, Levi riding it down before ripping the blade free. No amount of blood could heal the wound, so there was no need to do anything other than let the vampire choke to death on his own blood. Three down.

Arming himself with the small array of weapons on the three corpses, Levi finally backtracked to free his companions of their chains, laying them all towards the back of the room, with the hopes they'd know well enough to search for an exit rather than follow him. They should. He'd drummed it into them all over and over. If they didn't understand the simple fact that he had no need for extra baggage, they wouldn't be on his team. Leaving them, Levi kept his steps light as he exited the room, following the stench of filth still hanging in the air, until the stench finally turned to that coppery tang of blood. With his back against the wall, Levi closed his eyes and concentrated on the vibrations and movements on the wooden floor of the structure. There were at least 5 more of his kind inside that room... he could take them, but there had to be more in on this side venture of traveller killing. No doubt, the whole village would be found culpable if pressed. With two carefully placed steps Levi was in the room, his prey feasting on Eren's prone form. The kid had been torn open, his body surrounded by a sea of blood. Revolting. Whoever had trained these vampires had no sense of decorum or decency. They might have human bodies, but they were all feral mutts, waiting to be put out of their misery. Drunk on blood, and focused on their feed, Levi crept across the room, slitting the throat of the closest vampire. In dumb horror, the other four looked to him, baring their teeth over his unwanted presence and the interruption of their meal. Being so close to Eren allowed Levi to see that almost ever part of Eren's skin was marred with bite marks, the boy's chest barely rising and falling. His anger swelled. The kid was a shitty brat, but he had spirit and was more use to them alive. It wasn't like he hadn't intended to save Eren, but giving it some kind of justification helped to see Eren as more than food. As the four vampire rose, Levi attacked. The fatter of the feeders fell to his blade, but the three others showed more intelligence, moving as pack and striking as one. Stabbing the one approaching from the front, the other two both ran their blades into his sides, causing an involuntary scream to escape his lips. Rising his blade, the one Levi's stolen blade was embedded in laughed opened, before slamming his knee up into Levi's crotch and dropping him to kneel. Sometimes being a male really wasn't that great... grabbing him by the hair, the vampire yanked his head up, forcing him to bare his throat. How dare this filthy trash even think to touch him? Squatting down, the vampire spat at Eren's body  
"Bring the mistress. She'll want to know he's free"  
"You'll never make it"  
"You're not the first of our kind we've hunted. I told her we should just slit your throat and string you up like the military pig you are, but she had other plans..."  
Enraged, Levi ripped the two blades from his sides, adrenaline fuelling him as he plunged them both into the talking vampire neck. It was dead before it could even realise what happened. Rising as he pivoted, the blades were torn free, as the other two vampire bolted for the door. This was almost fun. Hurling both blades, his aim rang true as they lodged in the wood beside the door  
"How about we talk, or I'll gut you like your friends?"  
"You can't even move old man"  
"You're half-breed scum. Was it your slut mother or your alcoholic father that disgraced our blood?"  
"Why don't you take a guess?"  
"I bet it was your slut mother... women are always weak like that. Offer up a little money and they sway on the spot"  
Once again, he'd been wrong. Levi could honestly say he'd seen horse shit with more intelligence than what he was finding here. Ignoring the blood running freely down his sides, he rose to his full height and walked across the room as he slipped another stolen blade out  
"So for the son of a slut and an alcoholic, you could say I know how to have a good time"  
One vampire bolted, so Levi let him run. The other grabbed both blades from the wall, assuming a fighting stance  
"You're dead and so are all your friends"  
"Really? Because all I see are shitty brats in need of a good lesson in manners"  
Lowering his own stance, Levi took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he waited for that first move. He'd seen it a million times. The cocky look in the eyes just before the first jab was thrown. It was almost laughably predictable. As the awaited blow was thrown, he sidestepped it with easy, grabbing the man's arm, one hand above his elbow and one below, using the pressure to throw his opponent down, before twisting harshly, relishing the crack of breaking bone. Crying out, Levi drove his boot down onto the man's neck pining him to floor. Sagging slightly from his bleeding wounds, Levi was knocked back as the vampire struggled beneath him. With his arm dangling by his side, the man ignored it, throwing himself up and back at him, diving Levi hard against the wall. Snarling back at the vampires snapping jaws, Levi brought his blade up, stabbing the man through his cheeks before wrenching the blade out, and stabbing again, and again, not stopping until the vampire was a crumpled sack of broken bones. He needed to cool his head, half frenzied from the blood still flowing from his sides and the taste of Eren's blood in his mouth. He needed to feed. If he fed, he could heal. But the idea of feeding on Eren's blood was too appealing, too addictive. If he fed on such high quality blood, he might not be able to stop... but he needed the blood to heal... Where was shitty glasses when he actually needed her and her shitty blood?

Not for the first time in his life Levi found himself "licking" blood off the floor, or rather if he was specific, he was using his fingers to collect the blood spilt across Eren's body with his fingers. It was filthy and unhygienic, but he told himself it was necessary. He hadn't been out that long, so there were still hours before back-up would come... though telling himself it was a case of "desperate times, desperate measures" didn't ease his guilt over feeding on the kid. Eren was unconscious, and if anyone asked he'd deny it. Not just for Levi's sake, but for Eren's too. He didn't think the kid would open his mouth, but he was at that age. All it would take would be a careless slip of the tongue.

When the floor creaked, Levi pulled back from Eren. The boys stomach was mostly healed, the skin still pink and tender looking, but his internal organs were no longer visible. Knowing he wasn't going to find back up from the teen, which was probably for the best, Levi wiped as much blood as he could from his lips as straightened himself out and moved from the brat. If Eren was to shift into his Lycan form, there was no guarantee that he'd be lucid and not just the blood hungry monster everyone seemed to think him to be.

With his hunger salted and the pins and needs of his healing sides subsiding, Levi eyed his surroundings properly. The room was obviously used for feeds, the dirty brown of previously split blood made that clear, and by the looks of it, the drugging and murdering of travellers had been going on far longer than the few deaths that had popped up on the government radar. Actually, he wouldn't be surprised if they'd known all along, and allowed them continue until it finally became suspicious enough to attract unwanted attention. There were far more things in this world that what the public knew and acknowledged, his and Eren's existence confirmed that, and having come across this nest of vampires, further proved his point. He'd known he couldn't be the only one of his kind, but he felt no friendship towards his kind, though it did perhaps increase his own self hatred over his reliance on blood. He'd never been as out of control and sloppy as this nest was, except for perhaps during puberty when he'd barely had any control over his hunger at all. As his cold grey eyes scanned the room, they landed on a rough saw and bucket, the scraps from their feeding were probably butchered in this very room. Revolting. This people were completely revolting, and he itched to burn the whole place to the ground, if he could. Finding nothing of real use, Levi strode across the room, and out. With the ever present tang of blood in the air, a fight here between the leader of the group would only end in trouble. He was already in their territory, now he needed to turn the situation back to his advantage. 

Walking down the hall, Levi threw himself into the closest room as the sound of a gun rang out. Knives he could hand, but guns... guns were something else. A bullet wound always took an insane amount of time to heal, in an almost human manner. His shitty uncle had taught him that  
"You're all alone. Come out and we won't kill you"  
Riiight. He hadn't heard that before. The "too slowly" end of that particular sentence went unsaid, but still it was practically screamed  
"No thanks! I'm good in here!"  
"Suit yourself  
As the sound of multiple gunshot rang out, the wood cracked and split as each bullet passed through the flimsy door. This might be bad. Sprinting across the room, Levi slid behind the cover of a rather plain bed. Shit. If only he could get to his blades. Designed for the rough and thickly covered nape of a werewolf, they'd slice so easily through this trash. Growling as the door was kicked in, Levi scrambled under the bed, reemerging on the side as he charged. He only had one pathetic blade, that was enough to disarm the vampire shooting widely, snatching the gun away and coldly executing the man, his brain matter spraying back as he fell. Fighting and running with a rifle was harder than a small compact hand gun, but it did make things easier. While their shots were aimed at both his chest and head, Levi's shots were all aimed for their legs. It was simple. Shoot the knee out, drop them, blow their brains out and move on. He hadn't gotten his title as "Humanities Strongest Soldier" for nothing. And as much as he disliked the violence, it'd been his second nature long before he'd joined the Survey Corps. He'd walked and breathed death since he could remember, and falling back into old habits was embarrassingly easy. He'd changed his ways. He'd intentionally locked down that side of him when he'd joined the Corps because that was who he needed to be in order to keep his secret safe. Once everyone had been slaughtered there would be no witnesses to his madness. 

Shooting his way through the halls, he dropped and swapped weapons each time the rounds ran out. With time on their sides, these barely vampire vampires had gathered a rather impressive amount of ordinance, yet they lacked common training. He could almost laugh, and would have if not for the unmistakable roar of a werewolf behind him. Fuck. He thought Eren would be out of it for longer. With a large crunch, the whole structure shook, not able to withstand the enrage Lycan making his feelings known. More vampires spilled into the halls, tripping over themselves to escape. Levi felt nothing as he culled their numbers, until... until finally she appeared. The one vampire different from the others. He clothes that of those worn by the elite and aristocratic types. Her hair adored with shining jewels and her eyes... her eyes were almost the mirror image of hers. The moment they met, a shiver ran down Levi's spine. Maybe he'd finally met the one vampire that could give him a good fight. Snarling, the woman's fingernails seemed to grow, almost like claws as her mouth widened, exposing her rows of teeth. She was most definitely a pure blood, her "power" pulsing in the space between them, trying to drive him back. There was a tiny moment of calm, almost a heartbeat, before she let out a feral scream and charged him, her movements so fast they were almost a blur.

Blocking her first blow with the rifles in his hold, the vampire couldn't care less, her hands grabbing them, bending the solid barrels and rendering them useless within seconds. Releasing them, Levi kicked out, squarely into her stomach, which was surprisingly firm despite her curvy figure. In any other circumstances, he might even find her attractive, but like this... she was his enemy and needed to be destroyed. Behind him came another howl, Eren growing closer to their location. The howl did nothing to faze the woman, she dropped the guns and lashed out with her claws. He'd lost the advantage. He'd lost it and now he might be in serious trouble. Dodging the first blow, the second hit, her fingernails tearing trenches down his back as she laughed. Righting himself again, Levi threw himself into the fight, almost dancing on the balls of his feet as dodged and weaved, both trying to strike and avoid those lethal nails at the same time. His racing mind had already came to the only viable decision. He needed to keep her preoccupied long enough for Eren to reach them for a pure blood was more than he could ever realised... that wasn't to say he'd given up, but this was the best strategy he had given he couldn't disarm her of her own nails. If Hanji had been here, she would have been purely salivating at the prospect of observing and experimenting on this creature. 

There was barely moments warning before the floor gave out beneath both of them. Levi hadn't even noticed the floor sloping up, but he did notice the fall, landing hard enough for the impact to turn his knees to jelly. The shock on his ankles felt liked both snapped. It'd been a while since he'd fallen like that. Throwing himself from the fight, he cast a glance back over his shoulder, towards the source of the new sound in the room. Eren was panting, his breaths a wet huff, but his scent... his scent took Levi's breath away. The brat wasn't in control, all that was there was pure bloodlust. Well shit. Between a pure blood vampire and a rampaging Lycan, things weren't looking that great. Lumbering towards them, Eren howled. Levi could see that they'd finally been spotted, the brats Lycan form starting to charge as the pure blood woman screamed at him  
"What did you do?! What is that?!"  
"Our natural enemy"  
Sent sprawling as Eren threw his out right hand, Levi once again found himself smacking against a wall, this time unable to stop himself from sliding down. There was perhaps a moments glance in his direction before Eren on was on the woman, his teeth snapping her neck and ripping her vocal cords out before she could even realise what happen. What happened next was as fascinating as it was disturbing, as Eren began to pull long strips of muscle and tissue from now deceased vampire. The sounds of ripping and tearing and crunching of bone filled the space, but instead of eating his kill, Eren laid the strips and small chunks to the side, as if either saving it for later or preparing it as gift like a she-wolf to her pups. With his womb removed, it was definitely a behaviour Eren shouldn't be exhibiting, but there was also the chance that he could taste she wasn't entirely human and wanted to make sure she was completely dead. 

Clutching his arm to his chest, Levi huffed in annoyance. His clothes were ruined. His skin covered in all kinds of unwelcome filth. His team was unconscious. Eren was out of control. He'd finally found more of his kind, but they'd all be trash. His skin was crawling as the need to be clean grew and he had no idea where his weaponry was. Today hadn't been great and no doubt shitty eyebrows was going to laugh over his final condition. Whether Eren knew it or not, the brat was a damn jinx.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad-arse-motherfucker Levi taking out quarter vamps with a Kenny like attitude makes me smile


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Hanji teasing Levi...

Left with a constant pounding headache, Levi still couldn't get the mental images of Eren tearing that vampire apart to leave his mind. Each time his eyes shifted to the kids unconscious form, he could hear the ripping of flesh and breaking of bone. Not that Eren had any idea of what he'd done. The moment he'd contented himself with the pile of flesh beside him, the brat had shifted back, falling limply into the pile as his body began to steam. Pushing himself up, Levi had turned Eren so he wouldn't suffocate to death on the now part cooked flesh, he was then forced to leave him there as his own body was still healing, bone and muscle moving back into place, though his abilities were nothing like Eren's... yet, on this instance, thanks to having fed so deeply on Eren's blood they were probably the most accelerated they had been in years. This couldn't happen again. He needed to appear human, or they'd take him and dissect him as they had Eren. Something that really wasn't appealing, especially because he was damn sure their methods would neither be hygienic or clean.

For the most part, his minor injuries had healed by the time back-up arrived in the form of Mike's squad. He had no real idea how the man had known they were in trouble, but wouldn't have been surprised if the man had announced he'd smelt Eren, or the blood in the wind. Perhaps Mike had more in his blood than simple human DNA. It was almost laughable the weirdo's that Survey Corps seemed to attract. Whatever it was, Levi soon grew tired of the fussing hands, which were only made worse once his team had woken. Petra and Eld especially embarrassed over being drugged, and especially apologetic over Eren being "injured". Levi neglected to the tell them the boy had been used basically as a pig trough, and hoped the brat had been unconscious for it all. This on the back of being tortured by the government, was going to be hard, especially when the kid was so emotional over everything. The kid was a jinx, but he'd already wormed his way into the hearts of the Corps members by the seems of it. 

Sidelined due to his arm, Levi's mood was bitter, his temples throbbing due to Eren's blood having been absorbed completely into his own bloodstream, meaning its addictive and almost miraculous effects were now next to nought. His teeth ached to feed on the kid again... and he sorely wished he could be anywhere but here while Eren was tended to by his friends. He didn't like the way the girl, Mikasa? was overly possessive and protective of the brat, slapping away the hands of their blond friend, before having the nerve to openly scowl at him, blaming him for any damage Eren may have taken. Whatever. Whatever she was thinking, I didn't hold a candle to the guilt he felt. He was supposed to take care of the shitty kid, yet once again, the kid had nearly ended up dead. He was going to have rethink his training of Eren all over again. This wouldn't work... so perhaps he should ask Erwin to transfer the kid for now? No. Erwin had fought too hard to get the kid into their care. Still. Something had to be done. Tearing his eyes from the scene, he looked to the flurry of activity, that he should have been a part of. Mike's team as well as his own began dismantling the remains of the battered barn. 47 sets of remains were found piled in a coal cellar, with another 32 found hidden in between the floors. It was fucking disgusting. No vampire needed to feed that regularly, let alone half and quarter vampires. He was sure that the quarter vamps were human enough to survive without the consumption of blood at all. In light of the gruesome discovery, and returning of the gear, Levi felt no guilt when they reduced the place to cinders. The villagers involved in the scheme that weren't vampires were spared, while Mike seemed to be able to sniff out the minute traces on those who were. Taken away from the new recruits, they were executed and their bodies burnt, so as to hide their true nature. To them, they'd merely be humans who robbed and killed their victims. Even if they were eventually going to learn the hard way that supernatural things existed in this world, they had their hands full with werewolves. Whatever shit storm hit the village now, it was their mess to clean up, and he felt no pity for them. No. They'd done this to themselves. His mood wasn't shared with the others, the members solemn and withdrawn as they began their way home.

 

Eren had slept all the way through the journey back to the castle, Hanji whisking him away the moment the carts rolled through the gates, much to displeasure of Mikasa and the blond kid Armin. He was going to have to remember that. They'd immediately sought him out to demand access to Eren, which wasn't happening. The kid needed to be examined and debriefed before they'd even consider allowing his friends access. Mikasa's composer crumbled, the girl thinking it was perfectly acceptable to hurl abuse his way, while Armin apologised profusely. In the end Mikasa took a swing at him, grabbing her arm, he'd thrown her to the ground with ease, his boot pressing down on her neck as he growled  
"Eren would be disappointed to see you like this. Cool your head. You're not seeing him until he's been cleared and nothing is going to change that"  
He was tempted to make her actually utter the words "Yes, sir!" out loud, but his display had drawn enough attention, Mikasa's pride and ego was damaged enough. Releasing the pressure, Levi didn't look back as he headed up fill shitty eyebrows in.

Declining Erwin's offer to feed, Levi's voice was emotionless as he filled him in, in detail, every single thing that had happened since they'd departed, he did however find his tongue betraying him, instead stating that Eren was in complete control of his actions as he'd killed the pure-blood vampire. The cleft between Erwin's eyebrows was deep by the time he'd finished, his commanding officer muttering bitterly over the government's manipulation, his inner thoughts nearly blurted out in anger, before Erwin finally recomposed himself, dismissing him with the warning not to pick fights with new recruits.

 

*  
Waking in a cold sweat, Eren's chest heaved, stomach cramping as he expelling something uncomfortably stringy and sharp from his incredibly tender gut. What the hell had happened? He couldn't remember anything, outside the lingering nightmare of black and sharp incisions  
"You've got to cut that shit out brat"  
Eren swore he must have jumped 10 feet at the sound of Levi voice. Wiping his face with his hands, he embarrassed that the man had to witness such a pathetic sight  
"Stop. You're making it worse"  
"Sorry, sir"  
"I would ask you how you're feeling, but I'm guessing it's not great"  
"What happened?"  
"You were drugged. Petra and Eld are perfectly fine, but you were injured. You've been unconscious for the last 5 days"  
He'd stuffed up again. He'd been... what? Unconscious and useless while the others had needed him? Why couldn't he do anything right? Maybe... maybe he deserved... he should ask Erwin to send him to the Capital. This wasn't working. He wasn't good enough  
"What do you remember? Do you remember being at the inn?"  
Forgetting his hands were dirty with his own mess, Eren dug his palms into his eyes  
"Eren. The inn. Do you remember it?"  
Crap. He'd made Levi repeat himself... he had to remember... remember  
"The food. It was in the food. Petra and Eld didn't notice, but I could smell it. I could smell it and I didn't stop them. Why didn't I stop them? I knew. I knew it was off... and... what's a prime?"  
"A prime?"  
"She said something about a prime... and that I smelt different. They knew I wasn't human. The could smell me... this is all my fault"  
Levi hefted a sigh, walking over to his bed and stripping the blanket off, before staring down at him  
"No one died. But I did cover for you. You saved the team, even if you don't remember, but you need to tell Erwin you do. The governments pulling more strings than we can see, and we need to play this carefully, or you're going to end up under their knives again"  
"Would it be so bad?"  
The words slipped from his mouth, Eren unable to shove them back in as Levi sighed again  
"Not this shit again"  
"It's true. I'm useless. What did I do? I got stuck as a wolf then failed the team..."  
Eren's sentence trailed off. The fog in his head was clearing, memories slipping back from wherever they'd been hidden  
"Brat?"  
"I... they... I think they bit me... why would they bite me?"  
"People do a lot of things. Some of them pretty shitty. You were injured, but you've healed. You're friends were worried"  
"Mikasa and Armin? Are they ok?"  
"Everyone's fine"  
Eren didn't like the underlying tone in Levi's words. It was like he was trying to soothe a child with a white lie, so as not to worry them, but he still understood the implications. Levi wanted him to shut up. The man was probably sick to death of his pathetic complaints  
"Erwin asked to see you the moment you woke, but I'm not taking you anywhere until you've showered"  
"Sorry... I shouldn't have collapsed"  
"Stop it. You can't change the past, but you can move on. Preferably to a hot shower with soap, your shitty scent is making my nose itch"  
"Sorry"

With his possessions in Levi's hold, so he didn't mess them up with his own mess, Eren trailed behind Levi as the man walked him to the shared bathroom instead of his private quarters. It was too much to expect Levi to consider him a friend... he'd gotten too full of himself after the man's attentions and this... this was the way things needed to be. Levi didn't want to hold his hand, or be his friend, or even his partner... and it hurt. It hurt so bad his heart actually hurt. He'd spent three years busting his arse to get here, and now he was back to doing everything wrong. Stumbling as his already shaky legs gave out, he looked up to Levi in guilt, waiting for him to yell at him, or hit him... something. He needed something. Some kind of punishment for his uselessly weak state  
"Come on brat. How are you supposed to face Erwin when you look like that?"  
Dropping his head, his eyes caught sight of the tips of his claws. He hadn't even felt the shift. He certainly hadn't meant to shift... Levi sighed again, it might have been a simple sigh to everyone else, but to Eren, it was laced with disappointment  
"Are you going to change back? Or are you stuck again?"  
Shaking his head, Eren forced the shift, finding it much more painful and uncomfortable, like his body didn't want to cooperate. The teen's fingers gripped the floor, his claws trying to form as he fought the need to just give in  
"Eren?"  
"Sorry. I don't know what happened"  
"Can you keep it together a little longer? We're at the showers"  
"Yes sir, sorry"  
He hadn't even thought about what other people would think, seeing him just shifting forms in the hallway without any restraints. Cautiously he pushed himself up, his arms wrapping around is tender stomach in need of some small measure of comfort. All he could think about now was how much closer he was to ending up under those blades again... the fear filling every tiny piece of him, and he swore he could smell his own blood in the air  
"You look like you're about to throw up again"  
"I'm ok"  
"Sure you are. Eren, if there's something wrong, you need to tell me"  
"Nothing's wrong. I'm sorry. I don't know why I shifted. I didn't even feel it"  
"You're a terrible liar"  
"I... I was thinking about the mission"  
"Save the thinking for when you see Erwin"  
Levi's words were almost kind, and Eren couldn't bring himself to look at the man as they walked into the room. Ignoring the fact Eren was more than capable of carrying everything, Levi entered the shower stall before him, placing his things down on the small bench before wrinkling his nose  
"This place is fucking disgusting. We'll be cleaning it tomorrow, once you've seen Hanji and eaten"  
Brushing past him, Levi stared at him until Eren finally moved to close the door and actually shower. 

The first thing Eren noticed was the fact he'd seemed to have lost weight. The way his ribs stuck out was both annoying and nauseating... and no doubt Hanji would find out all about it tomorrow. He had no idea what to tell her, nor what to tell Erwin. If he shifted again, Erwin might just shoot him dead on the spot. Hell. He might just shift so he would. He'd honestly thought this mission would make up for his first disastrous one, but this time he'd been even more useless. Feeling his cramping stomach roll, Eren clamped his hand to his mouth, though that didn't stop him from vomiting, even if it did muffle the noise. Feeling something hard and sharp in his hand, the teen looked down, his eyes widening. A tooth. A human tooth... and hair... what... what had he done!? Levi said he'd shifted, that he hadn't been in control of his shift... he'd... he'd hurt someone. For the second time that evening, his legs gave out, Eren landing hard on the tiled floor with a crack  
"Eren?!"  
He wanted to tell Levi he was ok, but all he could think about was the tooth and hair he'd thrown up. He was... he was every bit the abomination they called him. The flimsy door to the shower gave in easily under Levi's boot  
"What the hell brat?!"  
Having no explanation Eren held his hand out, Levi prying his fingers open before eyeing the hair and tooth in revolt  
"Are they yours?"  
Eren surprised himself by shaking his head, Levi signing as he took them into his hold  
"Don't give me that look. Yes. You killed someone while in your Lycan form. But they tried to kill you and the team. They tried to kill me. Don't waste your tears on them"  
How could he not? He'd killed someone. Someone human and someone who probably couldn't have even hoped to fight him off. This time when he shifted, Levi said nothing, though Eren did notice the look he gave the tooth and hair before depositing them into his hip pocket, it was a look of worry, like the two items were forbidden relics or something  
"You're still dirty. I'm going to wash you down, but don't you even think about shaking yourself off until I'm out of the stall"  
A whine was the best he could manage, his paws not wanting to hold him as he tried to stand. Levi said nothing, fixing his mouth in a thin grimace before starting to lather Eren's fur with the fruity soap. He knew Levi had killed. He knew it, and he desperately wanted to ask how he dealt with taking a life, but the fear of forcing his shift again kept him in his wolf form  
"You can't keep retreating into this form whenever anything goes wrong. Yes. You killed, but she wasn't... she wasn't exactly normal, or human. When Erwin asks, you tell him you did it because I was injured"  
Levi was injured?! He looked fine. He didn't smell hurt, maybe a little tired, but not hurt. He'd only been out for 5 days, and there was no way a wound capable of incapacitating Levi could heal that fast. Levi... Levi was just that good. He was more than good. He was everyone's hope, and hero to more people than he probably realised. 

When Levi deemed him acceptably clean, the man moved from the stall to let him shake dry. The flying droplets of water making Levi wrinkle his face. He hated when Levi did that. The man had been blessed with natural beauty, which given his position was probably more of a curse than a blessing. Padding from the shower stall, the feeling of Levi's seeing fingers massaging his skin was fast evaporating, he hated how good it felt to have Levi touching him. Having him ground him. Having someone touch him that didn't have to, and wasn't going to cut him open. Sitting in front of Levi, he stared up at the man  
"We'll bring your clothes with us. Erwin's probably going to ask you to shift, but you looked pained last time, so don't force it"  
Dare he hope that Levi actually cared? He knew in his own way the man did, but his own self loathing was in full swing, his anxieties intentionally misreading and misinterpreting everything Levi said. Waiting for Levi to grab his clothes and things, Eren then slunk after him, his ears flat and his tail tucked between his legs.

Arriving at Erwin's office, Levi didn't bother to knock as he opened the door for him. Still low to the ground, Eren was just about crawling across the floor as he entered the room under Erwin's confused gaze. Dropping to the floor, Eren placed his lower jaw flat against it, as he stared at his nose  
"Do I want to know?"  
"He's feeling sick. I'll be taking him to Hanji tomorrow morning if he doesn't improve"  
"Hanji didn't note anything wrong with him"  
"Hanji didn't look inside"  
Leaving the door open Levi walked past him, Eren flicking his gaze up to watch as Levi placed the hair and tooth down onto Erwin's desk  
"Thanks, but this really isn't the kind of gift I go for"  
Did Erwin seriously just make a joke?!  
"He vomited them up. He's probably got a whole heap of rubbish in his stomach right now"  
Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose  
"From the female?"  
"He remembered being drugged at the inn and the talk of a prime. He was showering when he vomited this up, and he can't shift back right now"  
"I don't imagine throwing up a hair or tooth would make you feel that great. Take these down to Hanji to be analysed. Hopefully we'll be able to get some answers from them. Did he remember anything else?"  
"No. He was drugged, then unconscious from blood loss. He remembers attacking the woman to save us, but he promptly passed out after he shifted from his Lycan form"  
Why was Levi covering for him? He should just tell Erwin how much of a useless burden he was... whining softly, he tried to make himself even smaller  
"Eren, we'll talk about this once your human again. Levi, as well as the rest of his team, as well as Mike's have explained what they encountered. From what they saw, you shifting helped stop an incredibly dangerous woman. I'm not impressed you're currently a wolf, but I think we can let this slide under the circumstances. Levi, take him down to Hanji. See if there's something she can do to clear the... remains in his stomach"  
Why was Erwin being nice? He wanted to shift and beg to be sent away. To be locked up where he couldn't hurt anyone ever again... How could they both bare to look at him?

Following Levi back down the ridiculous number of steps and into Hanji's lab, the woman squealed at the sight of him, rushing over to sink down and gather him into her arms  
"Eren! You're awake! I've missed you"  
"Leave him alone, he's feeling sick"  
"If he's feeling sick, I can hardly leave him alone. What hurts? Is that why you're in your wolf form? Because you feel sick?"  
"Hanji, a word. Now"  
Hanji pouted  
"Sorry Eren. Do you mind sitting beside the examination bed for me? I'll be right back, once I deal with Levi"  
He nodded, missing her warmth as she pulled away to walk off with Levi. Eyeing the bed, he figured he should at least try to be useful. Padding over to it, he stretched up, before jumping onto to with a solid thud. If Hanji wanted to poke at his stomach, he'd have to lie on his side for her. She was going to hate him. Seeing everyone while they'd travelled had been nice, but Hanji was a different kind of friend. She did her job, but she also cared enough about him to make sure he understood the things she was going to do to him during her experiments. Huffing as he burrowed his face into the pillow, he wished he was in his human form instead. He wished he was back home, before all this began. Sitting in front of the fireplace with his head in his mother's lap as she stroked his hair, usually scolding him over whatever mischief he'd gotten himself into, though it was never his fault. Not really. As tears began to run down his muzzle, his body shook with emotion. It was probably for the best she'd died long before she'd seem him become this.

Hanji seemed to notice the moment she came in that he was upset. Coming to his side, she rubbed the top of his head affectionately  
"Levi explained what happened. I'm sorry I didn't think of about it sooner. I could have operated while you were unconscious if I had. I'm going to have a bit of a feel around your stomach"  
Eren whined before her hand even hit his fur  
"I know, just bare with me"  
His fingers were a different kind of firm softness to Levi's, the feeling they left wasn't the same heat he felt from Levi's touch. Yelping as she pushed down, Hanji quickly soothed him as she apologised  
"I know. I know. There's definitely some inflation. I could give you something that will make you vomit, but we don't know what exactly you ate, so we could run the risk of it becoming lodged in your throat"  
He didn't care, but he didn't want to tell Hanji that he was ok with dying. She still seemed to think he had some kind of use  
"So you're going to operate?"  
"It's the safest choice in this situation. Has he eaten since he woke?"  
"No. No fluids either"  
"Good. Eren, I know you hate needles and surgery, but I promise I won't let you feel a thing. Levi isn't going anywhere either. Ok. You're not going to be alone"  
Whimpering, he moved to hide his head under the pillow. For all his puffed up internal thoughts, he was now terrified of the fact he was going to be cut up all over again  
"Levi, why don't you sit with him, I need to find Moblit"  
"Does he need to shift back?"  
"No. I wouldn't recommend it. It could shift whatever's in his stomach. We don't want to cause him more pain than necessary"  
So he could stay a wolf... it wasn't as scary facing everything as a wolf. Leaving them alone, Levi sat on the edge of his bed, placing his hand over where Hanji had been rubbing  
"I know this is shit, but it's better she cuts it out, than you ruining your insides when you crap"  
If Eren could have blushed, he would have. He didn't want Levi thinking about his bodily functions... ever. The man probably found using a toilet completely disgusting  
"We both let you down on this. I didn't think you'd swallowed anything, and Hanji hadn't picked up that you had. I know finding that tooth was probably hard, but you need to stop thinking about it. They killed more people than you've had hot meals. Ending their group was the right thing to do"  
That didn't change the fact he'd killed and eaten someone... mental images of mangled limbs rotting in his stomach came to mind, and he barely got a whine out before watery vomit spilled under the pillow. Hacking, he realised he was choking, unable to rid the obstruction from throat  
"Shit! Hanji! Get in here, he's choking!"  
Ripping the pillow off his face, Levi wretched his jaw open, not hesitating as shoved his hand into Eren's mouth, despite the teen's razor sharp teeth. Feeling Levi's fingers tugging, Eren tried to help, pushing himself to hack harder. With the spilling of more of that watery vomit, Levi pulled out a think mass of hair  
"A fucking hair ball... I thought you were dying"  
Eren thought his dying too, but now he felt like he was dying of embarrassment. Shaking the matted hair off his fingers, Levi held his hand away from him  
"No more vomiting"  
How was he supposed to promise that?! He had a person rotting away in his stomach... gagging he heaved, this time blood dribbled from his mouth, thicker than the previous vomit  
"Shit. Eren. You're going to be ok. I need to get Hanji"  
Moving his head so his mouth was hanging over the edge of the bed, Levi strode away, while Eren whimpered.

Hanji arrived back his side before Levi, the woman slightly breathless as she took his head into her hands and forced him to stare up at her pathetically  
"You're going to be ok. Moblit's on his way, but I need to start right now. Can you understand me"  
He blinked, wondering what he looked like to her and what she was thinking  
"Good boy, Eren. I promise you're going to be just fine"  
Whining in agreement, Hanji lowered his head back to the bed. The woman then rushing over to her desk, berating herself as she started rifling through her drawers  
"Stupid... stupid... stupid... you should have known. Levi told you. But nooo... stupid"  
He hated Hanji calling herself stupid, wanting to shift and reassure he was feeling better than he actually was. Mentally noting that he needed to tell her she wasn't, he closed his eyes  
"Eren, stay awake for me. Keep those eyes open for me"  
Opening his eyes again, he tried to give her a smile, but it ended with him just baring his teeth  
"I'm going to have to ask you what that means. Ah! Here. Ok"  
Jogging back to him, Hanji took him by the scruff of his neck  
"Small pinch"  
He still snarled when the needle slid into his skin, nearly snapping at Hanji in fear  
"I know. I told you not to sleep, then I go and give you a sedative. I just need to be precise"  
Massaging the spot, Eren gradually felt it kicking in, his low growls turning to huffed pants as his eyes sliding closed  
"That's my boy. That's a good boy"

 

*  
Levi couldn't deny he didn't feel some guilt over the fact Eren was now under Hanji's scalpel. He'd just assumed Eren would somehow just absorb everything he'd consumed. Actually, he hadn't noticed Eren consuming anything other than the blood running down his teeth and chest, but it made sense given how Eren had torn into the kill. He wondered if the government already knew about things being stuck on Eren's stomach like this, and if they'd intentionally withheld it with everything else they'd done. He was however thankful that Eren hadn't noticed the tooth wasn't quite human. Hanji would analyse it, and she'd already organised for Eren's blankets to be retrieved in case there were more teeth in the mess. This had blindsided all of them, now Eren was forced to go under the blade again... while he was sitting there, holding the teens paw like a shitty idiot. His job was to monitor any slight changes or twitches in Eren that might signal him waking, but Hanji had neglected to take his hunger into account. He'd denied Erwin's offer to feed, and was cutting it close now that it had been 5 days since he'd last fed on Eren's blood... and fuck... it smelt incredible. The coppery iron tang had him licking his lips with the tip of his tongue, as his hold on Eren's paw grew tighter. It honestly felt like Hanji had no right to be touching Eren, and something in him wanted to tear her away, and to protect the kid... so he was failing badly at telling himself it was all for the sake of his hunger  
"Moblit. Time"  
"One hour, 11 minutes"  
"Levi. Are you ok?"  
"Fine. How much longer?"  
She'd already opened Eren's stomach, he'd seen her pulling out what looked like a birds nest of hair, with various bits of bone and teeth woven though it  
"I need to check the rest of his digestive system. He really needs to eat more"  
"He needs to eat more?"  
"Obviously not people, but he'd lost weight"  
"I could have told you that"  
"No need to snap"  
"Then don't state the obvious"  
"Someone's hungry"  
"I swear to Wall Maria, I will kill you"  
"You can't. No one here has the skills to care for Eren, unless you want to be the one to cut him open"  
"Don't say it like that. He took days to come out of his wolf form last time, and Erwin wasn't happy about him being back in it"  
"I suspect he finds it easier and more comforting to be in his wolf form"  
"He's a teen. He should be enjoying his teenage years"  
"But when you're an animal, no one really expects you to be that smart"  
"He isn't that smart to begin with. If he was, he would have told me he was sick sooner"  
"You said he vomited as he woke. How much sooner so you want?"  
"Remind me why I can't kill you?"  
"Because my hands are currently in Eren"  
"Right..."  
"Still, it's been rough for him"  
"Yeah. He's not taking it well"  
"Would you? If you suddenly threw up human remains after being tortured for being a monster"  
"He thinks he failed his mission. He doesn't even realise his mission was to be the bait"  
"Did you tell him?"  
"No. I tried to get him to shower, then he shifted"  
"You should tell him. And tell him all of it"  
"That he was drained by a pack of trashy vampire trash"  
"Nice English"  
"Shitty vampire trash. It's his blood. There's something in it, and it's not just me"  
"You're the only one who's exhibited protective and possessive tendencies while around him. Don't give me that look. You care about him"  
"I don't care about him"  
"Mhmm... that's why he slept in your bed"  
"He'd just come from being tortured"  
"Mhmm... I think you like him"  
"Hanji. I don't like him. I see potential in him, but if he stays how he is now, he's not going to last"  
"Then what are you going to do?"  
"I don't know. I don't know the first thing about what shitty brats need"  
"If you think he's going to be a liability, you need to tell Erwin"  
"If I tell Erwin, Eren could end up in the Capital. Do you really want him back in their hands?"  
"No. He's a cute kid"  
"He's a Lycan"  
"Yeah, yeah. But look at his coat. Look how soft he is"  
"Now who's interested in him"  
"If he crawled into my bed like this, I wouldn't be kicking him out"  
"That's because you're crazy"  
"Thanks. I can't feel any obstructions in his intestinal tract, and his stomach's already healing. He might have a little trouble going to the toilet until his system clears completely"  
"Why do I need to know this?"  
"Because he needs to be monitored..."  
"Hanji"  
"You can't put him back in his cell, not while he's like this"  
"We keep him here"  
"We can't. If someone else sees him here and it gets out, Erwin's going to have to explain this. At least if he's in your quarters, you can cover"  
Moving back, Hanji poked at the healing skin of Eren's stomach, looking rather pleased with herself  
"He really is amazing"  
"So you keep saying"  
"That's because he is. I wish I could have taken some samples while he was under, but I didn't want to scare him"  
"He's still out. Are there any other samples you need that don't involve cutting him open?"  
"I wouldn't mind taking some fur and nail clippings"  
"Do it..."  
Fur and nail samples weren't going to hurt Eren, and it was better than waiting to ask Eren when he was awake and could see the scissors towards him, the kid would probably have a meltdown and stay in his wolf form for the rest of his life  
"Really?!"  
Hanji practically squealed as she rocked on the balls of her feet  
"They messed with his hands and nails, its better he isn't awake for this"  
"Oh... I forgot about that... right, Moblit, you get the fur while I do the nails. Levi, how's his breathing?"  
"His breath stinks"  
"Of course it does. He's a wolf, who's had a whole lot of gross human bits inside of him. You can excuse his breath"  
"If he's staying in my quarters, you're cleaning him before he gets there"  
"Deal!"  
Damn shitty glasses was way too into this. More than happy to turn this into something it really wasn't, and never would be. 

Eren came too just as Hanji finished taking her clippings from the tips of his nails, the brat letting out a long whine as he fought to keep his eyes open, and Levi found himself ushered back so Hanji could talk to Eren  
"You did good. It's all gone, but even with your super powers, you're probably going to be feeling gross for a day or two. Moblit and I are just about to clean you up, then you'll be staying with Levi until you're up to shifting back. It's important you don't try and force it. Ok, sweetie?"  
Eren's breath hitched, another whine falling from his lips  
"Eren?"  
Despite being heavily drugged, Eren shifted his head towards Hanji's hand, loosely "biting" the edge of it  
"I promise you're ok. You did well"  
Using her other hand, Hanji stroked at Eren's soft fur until the teen finally released his hold, falling back to sleep like none of this had happened  
"What do you think that was about?"  
"Moblit, how is that you're so awesome, but you miss things like that? Eren was scared, he's probably scared he's going to be thrown out, or Levi's going to yell at him. He just needed someone to hold his hand"  
"I guess I'm still adjusting to a wolf this size being gentle"  
"Of course he's gentle. Let's get him cleaned up, then Levi can take him up to his quarters"  
To Levi at least, it was clear Eren would much rather stay with his Hanji, but that wasn't an option. Watching the pair of them clean the kid down, he felt that prang of jealousy, or maybe it was just annoyance that his hard work of scrubbing Eren's fur earlier had been for nothing. Either way, he kept a firm hold on his emotions, dreading the fact Eren wasn't going to be leaving his side for the next few days, and not knowing how he was going to get away from him to feed. Hanji however, had already thought of this. Sending Moblit to fetch another blanket, she rounded him with a mischievous grin on her face  
"Don't look at me like that"  
"You need to feed"  
"No shit"  
"Open your mouth for me"  
"What? No. Why would I?"  
Holding up the vial blood, her smile grew sickly sweet  
"Because I can't have you feeding on Eren in your sleep"  
"Just give me the blood"  
"Where's the fun in that"  
"Hanji. I will end you"  
"You're no fun. Here"  
With Eren's blood in the air, he hadn't been thinking clear. If he had, he might have realised he'd been hard before he downed the whole contents of the vile  
"Are you fucking kidding me!?"  
"You needed to feed. He didn't feel a thing"  
"That's not the point. I don't want to feed off him, especially without his permission"  
"You haven't eaten in days and I saw the way you looked at him. It's a win-win situation"  
"You went too far. Don't ever do that to me again"  
Moving to Eren's unconscious form, Levi slid his arms under the wolf  
"Moblit will be back in a minute"  
"I've got him"  
"Holy shit. You can carry him? It is the blood? Please say it's the blood!"  
"Unlike you, I actually train. He's not that heavy"  
"Awww you like him!"  
"Sometimes I wonder just what goes through that head of yours"  
"Wonder all you like, it's party central up here"  
Levi sighed at Hanji, Eren's blood was already heightening his senses and leaving him wanting more. Not that he'd admit that to her. Carrying Eren from the bed, he nearly walked straight into Moblit who'd returned with the blanket, and wasted no time covering Eren with it. At least no one could see the wolf in his arms now, though the blanket hardly made it any less suspicious.


	16. Chapter 16

Waking to a pawing at the bedroom door, Levi wasn't prepared to face the day. His neck cracked and muscles screamed, having fallen asleep in his chair as Erwin insisted on sitting on his bed with Eren. His whole bed was going to need to be stripped and scrubbed from the shitty pair. Erwin had kept him up half the night, insisting he was there to check on Eren before proceeding to not take Levi's less than gentle hints and kindly fucking off. Sometimes, no more often than not, Levi had no idea what was going on in Erwin's mind. He didn't want Eren to be made informed of the fact that he'd actually killed a pure blood vampire instead of some random stranger, while Levi felt that it would actually help bring the kid out of the obvious flunk he was in. If Eren was going to be his partner, he needed to learn and needed to see that there was more out there than just shitty werewolves. The kid needed a wake up call, but apparently he wasn't the one allowed to grant it. Stretching with a groan, Levi walked over to where Eren was pawing at the door, noticing the teen was using the pads of his paws rather than his claws in an attempt to avoid scratching the wood  
"What are doing? Do you need to take a shit?"  
He hadn't expected Eren to nod, but was grateful the wolf was housetrained enough not to shit in his quarters  
"Let me get my boots. Between Erwin and Hanji, a run will do me good"

Eren was patient as Levi slid his boots on, the teen falling into step beside him as they made their way out and into the frigid morning air. Pausing at the doorway, Levi looked down to Eren   
"Off you go. I'm not wiping your arse for you"  
Giving him a clearly annoyed huff, Eren darted forward, his form long and sleek as he ran through the training ground and disappeared into the woods  
"Don't get lost!"  
Eren didn't look back, so Levi set off his usual route, the fresh morning air stinging his face as he started to jog.

Running along the forest trail, it wasn't long before Eren had tracked him down the teens paws thudding rhythmically as his whole body rippled. If Levi didn't know any better, he wouldn't have suspected Eren had had surgery the previous night, not with how happy looked right now. Increasing his own pace, so as to not be outdone by the teen, the two of them were soon running through the forest almost blind to the world around them as they leapt over fallen branches and weaved their way along the track. When training privately, Levi didn't have the need to keep a hold of his human image, yet having Eren there, he found himself almost wanting to impress the kid. Letting himself indulge in the feeling of his own power. By the time the forest began to clear, he'd worked up a sweat, while Eren hadn't slowed at all. Maybe they should just let him live his life a wolf? The kid seemed happier that way. He could just give up whatever dream he had, and disappear. Snorting to himself, Levi slowed his pace. Like the government was really just going to let Eren run free. No. They'd no doubt hunt him down, before caging him somewhere and experimenting on him until he expired. Emerging to find Eren rolling around in the grass in front of him, Levi wondered if the kid knew how idiotic he looked with his tongue hanging out, and his paws in the air as he wriggled his back  
"Seriously? Do you have any idea what's in that grass? Or did you just start rolling around in it?"  
Sneezing, Eren leapt to his feet, trotting over to himself as if he was quite pleased with actions  
"Hanji's bathing you. You make a rotten wolf, did you know that?"  
Eren's tail continued to thud, his head cocked sideways as if asking Levi what he was going to do about it  
"Can you at least shift back? Hanji said not to force the shift"  
Shaking his head, Eren turned and lopped off into the grass again, yipping as he did  
"Eren!"  
Immediately the teen turned back, looking sheepish as he trotted back over, sitting at Levi's feet and lowering his head. The shitty brat had no idea he'd flipped Levi's life upside down, nor about the tinge of guilt over scolding the teen, when honestly Eren really should know better  
"First I'm going to drop you off with Hanji. She can get you breakfast and make sure you're actually up to all this running you seem to want to do. After that, and only if she clears you, we'll bring you back outside"  
He was such a goddamn push over for those wide green eyes. If Hanji could see him now, he'd never hear the end of it. As it was, memories of Eren in heat plagued his mind enough, as did the bitter shame of violating the trust the boy had in him, not only drinking his blood without permission, but masturbating over the kid... it left him with a bad taste in his mouth, and he knew he really needed to put more distance between himself and Eren, but every time he thought about it, life seemed to have other plans. Letting out a joyful yip, Eren flops on his back, exposing his belly  
"Brat. You might be in your wolf form, but this is hardly behaviour becoming of a soldier. Let alone an investigator or my assigned partner"  
The effect of his words is immediate. Eren rolling over, his ears flat against his head as he tucked his tail between his legs. The look on his face one of regret, and a look that tugged at something deep in Levi. Instead of easing his harsh words, Levi merely turned back towards the castle, jogging lightly while Eren ran at his side, his whole form seemed to be radiating deep regret.

Lucky for Hanji, she was in her office. Opening the door, Eren padded in softly, almost like he was expecting Hanji to also have a go at him. Smiling as she rose from her chair, Eren whimpered as she approached   
"What did you do to him?"  
"Me? I didn't do anything. We've been for a run, now you're going to give him a full examination and breakfast"  
"I told you he needs rest. Don't you Eren, who's a good boy?"  
"He's not a dog, Hanji. I doubt he appreciates you talking to him like he is"  
"I'm sorry Eren, it's just, your wolf form is so pretty that I forget. How do you feel this morning?"  
"He was well enough to wake me so he could go for a shit"  
Hanji rolled her eyes before sinking down to the floor in front of Eren   
"Ignore him. Despite what he says, he really isn't a morning person. Are you in any pain?"  
Eren shook his head, his posture still submissive towards Hanji  
"Great! You had me worried, but we got out all that nasty junk"  
"You're doing it again"  
"Eren doesn't mind, do you?"  
The look on the teens face was one of someone who'd just given up... a look he'd seen a hundred times  
"See. He doesn't mind. Alright Eren, I'm going to check your eyes, then I'm going to see if you can shift back for me"  
"Do I need to be here?"  
"Worried I'm going to hurt him?"  
"You're the one who didn't want him shifting"  
"But he's already been up and running, the poor kid's probably starving"  
"Then feed him"  
"Now who's treating him like a dog?"  
The laughing smile on her lips made him want to deck the woman. It was way too early for this shit, and way above his pay grade. Running a hand through his hair, Levi turned back towards the door  
"Just make sure he doesn't shift into a Lycan"  
"He won't! We'll see you later! Won't we Eren, look at your paws..."  
Shaking his head Levi left the pair, almost feeling sorry for Eren, but if the kid didn't want to shift back and face his problems like a human, he deserved to be cooed over by Hanji.

 

*  
Levi had expected things to pick up now the kid's gut wasn't filled with rotten remains. Hanji had given him a complete examination and cleared him to shift back, and cleared him to return to active duty and training a couple of days later. He thought the normality would help ground the kid to reality. Instead the brat seemed distant, not just with him, but with Hanji, and he openly dodged his two best friends. The most they'd talked had been when Levi asked him to submit his report on the mission, Eren had admitted he wasn't exactly sure what he should include in his report. While the teen might have meant that he didn't know what to include as he'd been unconscious for most of it, yet Levi chose to interrupt it as the Military Academy had done a crap job teaching their students. He'd spent, or rather, Eld and Petra had been delegated the job of drilling report writing into all new recruits, while Levi scowled at the class from the corner. Watching the way everyone interacted, it was hard to miss Eren sitting away from his friends, not even looking at their direction, brushing them off when they attempted to talk to him, and moving seat just before Petra began, so the pair couldn't follow.

He gave Eren three weeks. Three weeks of the brat doing everything he was asked, never once smiling and never once questioning his words. Levi had at first thought it was waking up to find himself in the man's room that had put Eren on edge, but that was now weeks ago. The kid should be well and truly over the embarrassment. Aside from the lack of smile, the change in Eren's scent and deep bags under his eyes betrayed the teen, he clearly wasn't happy. No one else seemed to have noticed, even Hanji insisted that Eren smelt the same way he always had. Annoyed into an irritated state, Levi was determined to get to the bottom of it, and tonight was going to be the perfect chance for that.

 

*  
Determined to strengthen its ties with all branches of the military, or rather, show off how they all fed from their lap, the Government was putting on a gala for the various leaders and officers of high position, while the new recruits of each branch were the hired help. The Military Police were in charge of event security. The Garrison regiment in charge of greeting guest and helping them to find their seats, while the Survey Corps were in charge or waiting the event. Because of his special circumstances, Eren wasn't allowed to work along side the others, instead he was follow Levi and Erwin around like a dog on a leash. He wasn't to engage anyone or make small talk, nor was he to shift to either of his wolf forms, and the invitation issued strictly stipulated that lethal force would be used if he did. His job was to be the mute freak show for the night. It was revolting, yet for some unknown reason, Erwin had openly accepted the terms.

Having ridden ahead with Erwin and Eren, Levi spent the day dragging the brat around in an attempt to find something suitable for them both to wear. With the chaos the night was sure to bring, the logical thing would be for the commanding officers to dress in their respective uniforms, but no one had ever said the Government was logical. Both he and Erwin were expected to wear suits, while Eren was expected to look nice... the kind of nice that suited trash and made it clear how far beneath them all the kid was. Levi wasn't having it. He wanted them all to feel uncomfortable. He wanted them so see Eren as person, a person who could very well be one of them, and though it was pain trying to find a suit that fit him on such short notice, he felt he'd done well. The brat now scrubbed from head to toe, his hair combed within an inch of its life, with not a single chocolate strand out of place. Dressed in an inky black suit, the teen looked every bit like a pampered rich kid, while Levi felt he looked like a child stuck at a bad wedding. The fabric felt itchy against his skin, while the cut restricted all his movements from the waist up. Still, he made sure he was armed with a blade in each boot. Tonight was going to well and truly rest his patience, especially when his plan was to get Eren drunk. Not so drunk that the teen was vomiting, instead, just drunk enough to loosen his tongue.

It was exactly 7:30pm when Erwin came to collect them. The man also dressed in black, including a black dress shirt, while both his and Eren's were white. Giving him a scowl over Eren's suit, Erwin smartly kept his mouth shut, letting his raised eyebrow do the talking. It'd been hard enough getting Eren to accept the suit in the first place, he didn't need the kid shifting and retreating back into their room. Following Erwin out to the waiting carriage, Levi wondered just what shit storm they'd be walking into.

It was a brisk trip from their lodgings to the private residence where the nights gala was being held. Eren's eyes were wide as he drank the night scape in, or what he could see thanks to the grimy lanterns off the city. The sight might have even been comical if it wasn't for the fact that every time they passed a lantern, Levi's fingers itched to clean it. Jolted back to reality as the carriage finally came to a stop, Erwin cleared his throat  
"I'm sure I don't need to remind how well we need tonight to go. Eren, you're not to leave our side. If we part company, you are to stay with Levi and you aren't to speak. No matter the provocation"  
"Yes, sir"  
"Levi, you're to make sure nothing happens to Eren"  
"I know how to do my job"  
"If you knew how to do your job, I wouldn't have had to talk Eren out of giving himself over to the government"  
Levi felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He thought they were past all of this, yet it made perfect sense when he thought of it. No wonder Eren was so distant. He'd literally wanted to be anywhere but by Levi's side... even if that mean they'd slice him to pieces just for fun. It fucking hurt  
"I take it you didn't know"  
"No. He neglected to tell me"  
"Tonight I expect you to show him what it truly means to be an officer and what kind of future he'd have if he'd been transferred"  
Levi nodded. His mouth dry, his tongue feeling thick and clumsy. He was in over his head with Eren, and every bit of hard work he'd put into making this partnership was for nothing. Wisely, Eren kept his mouth closed, following Levi from carriage and waiting patiently for Erwin to give him permission to follow them. Fuck getting Eren drunk. He's the one who needed it.

Upon entry, they were immediately greeted by two recruits he'd never met, both of them staring at holes at Eren, who for his part ignored them. Signing their names off the list, the male recruit disappeared momentarily, returning with a thick pair of cuffs that connected to a collar. Levi growled the moment the connection was made. This really was just a farce to parade Eren around like a dog  
"He's not wearing those"  
"Levi"  
"He's not a fucking dog Erwin"  
"I know he's not"  
"Then don't make him wear them"  
Both recruits shuffled nervously, their eyes darting around in search of their superior   
"Levi, we don't make the rules"  
"He's not an animal"  
Taking the cuff set from recruit, Erwin pressed the heavy set into his hands  
"Take him to the bathroom. He can wear the set under his suit"  
"Or he can just not wear it at all"  
"We're being watched"  
"I don't give two shits"  
"It's not just his head on the chopping block, or would you rather take his place"  
Clearing his throat softly, Eren leant in between them   
"It's fine. I'm a monster..."  
"You're not a shitty monster. You're a soldier. You have a right to be here and to be treated like one"  
"Please, sir. It's alright"  
Why was he even trying to fight this battle, if Eren had already given up on himself. Sighing, he glared at the numerous pairs of eyes watching   
"Fine. Do whatever the hell you want"  
"Can you please show them to the bathroom? Levi, I need to talk to Pixis"  
Keeping his glare fierce and mouth tightly closed, Levi fell into step behind the recruit now tasked with showing them to the bathroom.

Leaving them moment they could, Levi shoved Eren into the bathroom as soon as he could. Their escort hadn't bothered hiding his fear or Eren, and Levi seriously felt like decking both the recruit and Eren. Stumbling before correcting himself, Eren moved to the bathroom counter, his arms wrapped firmly around his waist as he stared at the not so interesting floor  
"What's going on with you?"  
Eren flinched, the kid looking momentarily terrified of him  
"I've been busting my arse to figure out how to make this work, but you've been running off too Erwin"  
"I didn't have a choice!"  
"What the fuck does that mean?"  
"It means I didn't have a choice. I've been wracking my brain, I've been trying to be a better soldier, but I'm a monster"  
"This again..."  
"You don't understand"  
"You're right. I don't. You just lock yourself away and think it's no big deal"  
"It's better if I'm locked away"  
"Why?!"  
"Because I fucking killed someone! I don't deserve to be alive!"  
"This is war. We don't always get a happy ending"  
"There had to be another way..."  
"There really wasn't"  
"How do you know?"  
"Because they tried to kill you. They cut you open and played with your organs, and left you there for the flies to shit in. Does that sound like someone who should be just walking around? You did nothing to them, and they still tried to kill you"  
Eren paled, the teen swaying before throwing a hand against the wall to prevent himself from falling as he took a deep breath   
"I thought not knowing would help, but you're so caught up in your own self pity that you can't even see that there was no other way"  
"I still killed someone"  
He was talking to a brick wall, and he was done. So very done  
"Strip. Let's get these on you before they decide to execute you for taking too long"  
Eren had the nerve to pause, before finally moving to strip off his shirt and jacket, leaving Levi to redress him around the cuffs once they were securely in place. The collar so tight the mental rubbed Eren's nape raw if he didn't constantly keep his head bowed. Maybe now the kid would get into his head, just how human he was.

 

*  
Parties and Levi didn't mix at the best of times. Parties when Levi couldn't actually get drunk were even worse. It wasn't like he didn't try, yet the alcohol had no real affect on him. If he wanted to get drunk, then his meal ticket had to be the one with the blood in their alcohol stream. Erwin was off doing his thing, while Levi was left babysitting Eren. Every single shitty elite had wanted to stare at the boy, to whisper about him and laugh the moment they thought Levi wasn't looking. For his part, Eren kept his head low and his mouth shut. His scent the only clear indication of the fear and humiliation he was feeling. By the end of the night the kid reeked like fresh blood, silently screaming for someone to help him. Caught up in the unexpected need to protect Eren, Levi finally snapped, marching the boy from the party. It didn't matter Erwin wasn't with them. He was Eren's keeper, and Eren needed to get out before he pushed or spat on again. For a bunch of posh bred elites, they were lacking in every single social grace. Climbing into the first available carriage, the first thing Levi did was unlock the collar from around Eren's neck. The boy shaking so hard, he didn't even seem to notice as he curled in on himself   
"Eren?"  
Burying his face against his knees, Eren shook his head  
"People are shit stains, most of which should have been wasted on their mother's sheets. Now you've experienced it, can you really say you want to give yourself over to military experimentation?"  
"I..."  
Eren shook his head again. Finally. Finally the kid got it... or so Levi thought.

Arriving back at their lodgings, Levi found himself faced with a new issue. Erwin had the key for the cuffs. He'd thought they'd be a simple press mechanism like the collar, but after forcing Eren to show him his bloodied wrists, Levi had damn near returned to the party to slaughter them all. Sitting Eren on the bed, he stalked down the hall to Erwin's room, his commander having just arrived back by the looks of it  
"Levi, have you heard of knocking?"  
"I need the key for Eren's cuffs"  
"How is he?"  
"Don't act like you care. Hand over the keys"  
"You both did well tonight, but I'll remind you Levi that I'm your commanded officer"  
"And Eren is a teenager who spent the night being shoved and spat at. That collar and those cuffs rubbed his skin raw"  
"I didn't know he'd be made to wear them"  
"You didn't know, or you neglected to tell me"  
"I didn't know"  
Pulling a key from his pocket, Erwin walked over to him, and then past him  
"I want to check on him myself"

Levi was only gone a minute, two at the very maximum, but that was enough time. Curled in the furtherest corner of their small room, Eren was whimper, his hands bloodied as he pulled at his finger nails with his teeth. Snatching the key from Erwin, Levi strode over to the boy, ripping his hand from his mouth   
"Eren!"  
"I'll be good. I'll obey. Just stop. Please stop..."  
The boy was babbling almost incoherently  
"What happened?"  
"He ripped his hands open trying to get the cuffs off"  
The skin from about three inches below his thumbs, to half way up his thumbs was bunched up, from where he'd tried to physically force the cuffs off. He'd already managed to turn all his nails into broken and bleeding stumps, while his scent had Levi's eyes watering in sympathy  
"We can't let anyone see him like this"  
"Then go. You don't have to look, but this is what your precious Government did"  
Blood was everywhere, Eren's healing sluggish, almost as if he didn't want to heal. Wincing at the way Eren's flesh slid on his hold, Levi got the first cuff undone with relative easy, but Eren surged at him as he accidentally brushed against the kids wrist. Knocked down, Eren's ears and teeth began to form, before Erwin was hoisting the brat, slamming him into the corner  
"What the fuck?!"  
"He tried to attack you"  
"Because he thinks I want to hurt him! Let him go, I need to get that other cuff off"  
"Give me the key, I'll do it"  
"I can do it"  
Snarling at Erwin, Erwin grabbed Eren by the throat  
"I am your commanding officer. Give me the key, then go get Hanji"  
"I'm..."  
"That's an order"  
Rising to his feet, Levi handed over the key, glaring at Erwin until he finally slipped the key into the lock and undid the other cuff. Once free, Eren went limp. Small sobs coming from the boy, even though his eyes were closed as if he was unconscious. Forced to leave Eren with Erwin, Levi then had to spend the next 10 minutes getting Moblit up and moving because Hanji was too drunk.

What a cluster fuck of fuckery.

Erwin had got Eren mostly undressed and into the pathetic bathroom connected to their room. The boy shivering in the bathtub, while he rubbed at his still healing hands. The sight was sickening, his hunger overridden by his concern, though Erwin still forced him to feed while Moblit cleaned Eren's hands. It'd never been more clearer to him that he was the only one who could protect Eren. Even if he'd thought it before, Eren was a bleeding mess. Careful not to drink too deeply, Levi was just pulling his teeth out as Moblit started yelling for him. Wiping his mouth, Levi stalked back into the bathroom, the smell of blood so thick he could taste it, even with Erwin's blood still on his tongue. Feeling a warmth bloom both on his cheeks and in his gut, Levi groaned   
"Sir, I don't know what to do. His temperature suddenly shot up"  
"It's fine Moblit. I'll take it from here"  
"But sir..."  
"I said it's fine. Make sure you send shit... Hanji here to examine him the moment she's awake"  
Moblit swallowed, the man having a hard time pushing himself up from beside the bathtub. From the flush in the man's cheeks, it was evident that Levi wasn't the only one feeling the effects of Eren's spilling pheromones, and if the man wasn't out of the room in the next few seconds, Levi knew he'd do something he'd live to regret.

Thankfully Moblit slipped past him, Erwin immediately asking for a report as Levi sank down next to the bathtub. Both of Eren's had been bandaged, while the kid's lips moved to form silent words  
"Eren. You need to calm down. You smell like you're going into heat. You can't go into heat here"  
Taking Eren's left hand, the kid jumped, finally looking at him with glassy eyes  
"Eren. You need to calm down"  
Blinking, Eren nodded  
"Good. You need a bath, but we can't do anything about that right now. I'm going to lift you from the tub"  
Another blink. At least that was something. He really wanted to wash the blood off the teen, but if Eren was starting to go into heat, his touches could send him over the edge. Lifting the boy from the bath, Levi carried him straight out to their room, laying him on the bigger of the two beds  
"What's that smell?"  
"He's scared. He's not healing properly, so we can't risk bathing him right now. I asked Moblit to send Hanji first thing"  
"I'll stay"  
"No"  
"Levi, this is my responsibility"  
"Damn right you're responsible, that's why you need to leave. He probably won't be able to give you a report on why this happened, and if we're lucky he won't shift into his wolf form"  
"I'm going to take him off active duty"  
"What..."  
"You'll resume your duties, while Eren stays with Hanji"  
"Are you serious?"  
"You're too close to this"  
"Get the fuck out"  
"Levi..."  
"Erwin. You need to leave"  
"He's not Isabel or Farlan. You can't save them or bring them back"  
Levi saw red. How dare Erwin even insinuate this was anything like that?! Eren was... he was a kid who needed protection  
"I am well aware who he is. And I'm a well aware that I could be in his situation, so for now, leave this to someone who actually understands"  
"You can't date a little kid"  
Levi paused for a moment, before laughing openly  
"I don't want to date him"  
"I've known you for years..."  
"Then you should know I have no interest in being in a relationship. No. If this is anything... I would say, I don't want him walking the same path I did"  
"Just make sure it stays that way"  
"I've seen enough fucked up shit and made enough mistakes. This isn't going to be one of them"  
Erwin walked from the room slowly, closing the door a little too hard for Levi's liking. Why would Erwin even think he wanted to date the kid?! 

Even after getting Eren settled for the night, then himself, Erwin's words wouldn't leave his mind. He didn't view Eren like that... He didn't. He couldn't.


	17. Chapter 17

Eren slept fitfully. His mind wouldn't stop spinning the words of abuse he'd been subjected to, into some kind of horrible song. His hands ached, his body felt incredibly drained and uncomfortable, yet sleep evaded him for the most part. He couldn't even shift, he'd tried even though he was sure Levi wouldn't want him to, he'd still tried. At this point, he'd basically do anything it took to get out of his own head. This night had just been one disaster after another, and he'd never expected that they'd be there. That they'd openly whisper in his ear about what they'd done, while Levi didn't even seem to notice... no, he was already mad at him. Erwin having dropped in the deep end, and twisting his words to make it seem like he'd asked to leave. He kind of had, just not in that manner. After following every single one of Levi's directions, he still felt he was lacking. Lacking in something other then a lack of sleep, so had approached Erwin asking about it. Asking if it really was alright for him to stay with the Survey Corps, and how he could improve... he didn't expect the man to twist his words and throw them in Levi's face. He'd thought being mature enough to ask for help would earn him some glimmer of respect. But no. It got him an argument with Levi. A dog collar and cuffs. And a stupid freak out that he couldn't remember. 

When morning came, he was sure he hadn't slept for more than a handful of minutes. His eyes and throat both scratchy, as if filled with sand. The dressings around his hands were stained a dirty red, he'd picked at them around his wrists with his teeth. Moblit having dressed them way too tight. His whole body felt way too hot and between his legs was a sticky mess, something he was glad from Levi's watching eyes by the thick blanket on the bed. Even if the Survey Corps wasn't popular, they'd at least given them decent blankets for the night. With all the misery he was feeling, he almost laughed at the fact his mind had finally given him something to focus about and that was on the blanket. His musings over the blanket was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Hanji's cheerful voice   
"I hope you're both decent! Or you better make space for me!"  
Levi merely groaned as he rose and walked to the door, revealing Hanji with a stacked tray of food  
"Keep it down"  
"It's ok. Everyone is helping clean up from the gala. It's you, me, Eren and Erwin, but he's in a meeting. Anyway, I brought you breakfast, and I brought you extra Eren"  
"You didn't have to"  
"You didn't get to eat last night, and Levi's going to take a shower while I take a look at those hands of yours"  
"I am?"  
"You are. From the way things smell in here, you need it"  
"This coming from the woman who forgets to shower"  
"There needs to be more hours in the day"  
"Even then, you'd forget"  
"Rude. Back me up, Eren"  
Eren shook his head  
"Even the brat knows I'm right"  
"I feel so betrayed. Go away"  
"Like I want to see your shitty mug so early in the morning"

Hanji poked her tongue out, carrying the tray over to the bed, setting it down just shy of him while Levi went about huffing off to the bathroom   
"Moblit told me you had a rough night. Wanna tell me about it?"  
"Which bit?"  
"I saw what they put you in. The suit was really nice"  
"They still made me wear a collar and cuffs"  
"I know. I might have gotten a tad bit drunk and abusive. Moblit had to carry me out"  
"You shouldn't do that"  
"You're a person. You shouldn't have to be subjected to that. It ok if I look at your hands"  
"I... they were there. I didn't expect them to be there"  
Taking his right hand, Hanji ignored the fraying of the bandage as she unwrapped Moblit's work  
"Who were there?"  
"People from... when they took their samples. I recognised their voices"  
"You should have told Levi"  
"I was to be executed if I talked"  
"But Eren, I'm... I'm sorry that happened. Is that what lead to...?"  
"I think it was. I couldn't get their voices out my head, and a few of them asked when the next time would be. The pressure on my wrists... I just wanted it to stop"  
"We'll have to remember that and I'll make a note of no touching your wrists. You're scents off, and you feel hot. Do you feel like you might be going into heat?"  
"I feel like I'm dying"  
Tugging the last of the bandage free, Hanji frowned down at his hand. The skin was still bunched in places, and his nails still cracked  
"You did a good job"  
"I wanted them off"  
"I can see that. Do you think you can eat?"  
"Thirsty"  
Hanji's eyes widened  
"Of course you are. I didn't think. Here we go, can you hold the cup, or should I?"  
Clenching and unclenching his hand, Eren shook his head   
"I've got no strength in it"  
"It's ok. Let Hanji take care of everything"

Orange juice made a nice change, but it burnt at his tender throat, making his eyes water in the process. Forced to allow Hanji to feed him, Levi was taking a suspiciously long time in the shower, the woman having finished by the time Levi stepped out. Crossing to his bed, Eren swore he could smell something on the man that went straight to his groin, an involuntary whine tumbling from his lips, which went ignored by Levi   
"How is he?"  
"He's going into heat. Once you've finished eating, we need to leave"  
"Shit. I had the feeling that was the case"  
"Yep. Did you know some of the people from his surgeries were there last night?"  
Eren kept his head low, wanting to flee to the now empty bathroom   
"Eren, is that true?"  
Nodding, he really didn't want to talk to Levi about it   
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
Hanji wrapped her arms around him, shooting a glare at Levi  
"Leave him alone. He was scared enough as it was"  
"He should have told me"  
"And faced being executed for talking? What was Erwin thinking? How could he possibly agree to Eren being treated like that"  
Levi let out a trademark sigh, rubbing his face  
"If you're done eating, go clean up"  
"Levi, he's going to need help"  
"Then you help him. You're the one who said we needed to leave"  
"Because he's going into heat"  
"Then you help him. Eren doesn't mind"  
Eren did mind. He minded a lot  
"I'll be ok..."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Hanji, let the him make his own decisions"  
"Nooo. He's stressed, hurt and exhausted"  
"I'm fine... I think I can managed to shower on my own"  
Hanji didn't seem convinced, but Eren wriggled from her grasp, managing to face plant right on the floor in front of Levi. Letting out a moan, his back dipped as he tilted his head, something inside of him telling him that this was the pose he should take for Levi, even if his own mind wasn't yet clouded or hazy by heat. Rushing from the bed, Hanji took him by the arm and pulled him up, his tenting underwear hard to miss, which Levi didn't. The man's face turning red in a way Eren didn't know was possible, before looking away  
"Seeing Levi isn't going to help, I guess you're stuck with me"  
"I'm fine"  
"You're not fine. Last night was rough and it was cruel. You're allowed to ask for help Eren. You're allowed to rely on us more. We're you're friends and we want to help. Right, Levi?"  
"Sure. Just get him cleaned up"

Hanji didn't back off until Eren was sitting in the bath. She didn't trust him standing, so he'd been forced to sit, while she fiddled with the taps  
"I don't know why Levi has to be so stubborn"  
This was mumbled more to herself than him, so Eren tired to ignore it. Even though he really wanted to know what she was talking about. Levi was his superior, even if the man had been designated his partner, that would never change. To Eren, it meant that Levi had every right and no obligation to help him. Jumping as Hanji pressed a kiss to the top of his head, he looked up at her in confusion   
"I'll be right back. I should have some sedatives, which will help take the edge off the pain and your heat"  
So her solution was to drug him? If it meant not popping any more awkward boners in front of Levi, he could live with that  
"Thanks, Hanji"  
"You're welcome. Try to clean yourself up the best you can while I'm gone. If you need help, call out for Levi"  
"You're overreacting. I'll be ok"  
"And you're just being stubborn. I swear. You and Levi, the pair of you are going to be the death of me"  
"I didn't mean to make you worry"  
"Eren. I'm always going to worry about you. You're not just a werewolf or a wolf, or a Lycan or an experiment. You're also a teenager going through a really tough time. You mean a lot to me, so just accept the fact I'm going to nag you to death"  
Taking a shaky breath, tears began to form. He had no idea how much he'd actually needed to hear that. Reaching out for Hanji, the woman returned the embrace   
"Thank... you"

Instead of medicating him in the bathroom, Hanji kept her arm around him as he rinsed off, closing her eyes to give him privacy when it came to cleaning up his slick. After the awkward bath, she helped him dry and dress. Holding onto him as much as he was holding onto her. With his hormones a mess, he couldn't stop crying and though he kept trying, he couldn't shift, and couldn't stop apologising for all the trouble he was making. When it was finally time to leave, Hanji bullied Erwin into letting Eren ride in the back of the supply cart with her, rather than him being in the back of it with Levi, their commander agreeing almost too fast for Eren's liking. He wanted Levi and he wanted Hanji... in completely different ways, but he'd definitely take the almost maternal caring over publicly begging Levi to touch him the way his body was demanding. On shaky legs, he climbed into cart, careful not to jostle the supplies as he finally reached the back corner space for him and Hanji. Hanji wasted no time climbing up to join him, and settling down next to him with a soft smile as she opened her arms for him. Curling up in her hold, she covered him with a blanket and held him tightly, before confirming he still wanted to be sedated. Nodding his consent, he closed his eyes and nuzzled into her neck as she bossed someone around. Her scent didn't give him the same reassurance as Levi's, and was actually kind of gross now that they were so close, but he was happy not to be alone.

 

*  
Erections and horse saddles didn't make a great pair. Hunger, arousal and Eren in the arms another while whimpering in his sleep, really didn't improve his mood either. He wanted to tear Eren from Hanji, but each time he looked at the kid, he'd buried himself further under the blanket, now in Hanji's lap, the woman looking nearly squashed in the corner... not that she knew, she was still sleeping off the pervious night. Or she could have sedated herself and he really wouldn't have been surprised if she had. Readjusting himself, Levi nudged his horse away from the group. It was bad enough that the cold shower he'd taken back at their lodgings hadn't helped his arousal and he'd been forced to take matters into his own hands again... literally... something he swore Hanji noticed when she'd looked over Eren to him. He didn't need this from her. It was hard enough to contain himself while Eren tossed and turned, the room filled with his breathy pants and moans during the night. He couldn't blame Eren for this. He hadn't known some of those "elite" pieces of shit had watched him being tortured... though a heads up would have been nice. He could have taken the kid and left earlier, or even better, he could waited outside for each of them. He'd always wondered if aristocratic blood tasted like money, or the bullshit they spilt. Ignoring his wish to be alone, Erwin pulled his horse along side him  
"Levi. Are you alright?"  
"Why wouldn't I be?"  
"You didn't sleep"  
"No. I was taking care of the soldier you sent into a mental breakdown"  
"We couldn't have known he was going to act like that"  
"Did you know they were there?"  
"Who?"  
"The rich pigs that paid to watch him tortured?"  
"I doubt that was the case"  
"He fucking heard them"  
"He's upset..."  
It seemed more and more common of late that he was looking to Erwin in disgust   
"He has better hearing than you humans. He knows what he heard. He thought they were coming for him again. It sent him into heat"  
"Is that why you're keeping your distance? Because he's in heat?"  
"The only person he's letting near him is Hanji. The only person he wants to talk to is Hanji"  
"He can't cling to Hanji"  
"What? You want take over? You're going to dress his hands and wipe his arse? Jerk the shitty brat off? We already had to leave ahead of schedule due to his heat"  
"No. We need to find a more permanent solution. Removing his womb hasn't lessened his symptoms"  
"How do you propose we fix this? It's part of him"  
"I'm sure that Hanji can figure something more permanent out"  
"Saying it like that, it sounds like you want him dead"  
Erwin gathered his reins tighter  
"Eren is the closest we've come in a hundred years to finding out the secret of the werewolves, if he dies before we get answers, then all this has been for nothing"  
"And if he kills himself? What happens to your answers then?"  
"Do you believe it's likely?"  
"I honestly don't know. He's suffering. Before all this happened, he was a normal snotty brat. Now he's the most hated person in the world"  
"It's you're job to keep an eye on him"  
"Then as his babysitter, I'm telling you that he need to be treated like a soldier. He needs a proper room, and needs to be allowed to train and partake in missions like a normal soldier. Keeping him in the dungeon is only going to reinforce the fact he's different"  
"Can you assure me he won't shift in the middle of the night?"  
"He's not about to become a Lycan. A wolf is far more likely"  
"We'll move him onto your floor after his heat, and I expect you to keep a close eye on him. What happened last night, can't happen again"  
Nudging the sides of his horse, Erwin pulled back to fall in line with the cart. He hadn't set out to defend Eren... let alone have the brat moved to his floor. He appreciated his silence, and solitude... Just what in the name of Wall Maria was the kid stirring up inside of him?

Pulling up at the castle, Hanji called him over. Eren had woken sometime during the ride back, the boy shaking like a leaf and unable to get his legs up under him. Helping him down to the end of the wagon, Levi took the teen into his arms, inhaling a deep breath of the boy's scent, that scattered his rational thoughts. Fuck. He wanted to pin Eren down, make him completely full and filthy with cum and blood... his dick already throbbing in agreement. He had to get away from Eren  
"Levi?"  
Blinking, Levi swallowed down a growl. Hanji was too close...  
"Take... him"  
"What?"  
"Hanji. Take him right now"  
Instead of Hanji lifting Eren from his hold, Erwin did. Eren immediately trying to push his way out of Erwin's arms, his fingers twisting almost unnaturally as he reached for him  
"You're on standby until his heat has passed"  
"Fine"  
The word came out in a bitter growl, Levi having to force himself away from his friends, knowing his disheveled he looked.

After a shitty week of undeniable hunger and horniness, Levi was wrecked and deeply regretting his life choices. No matter what he did, the fog never cleared his head, and he never felt sated. He thought he looked bad, until he set his eyes on Eren. The kid had been crying again, his scent was crying out for comfort, and the way he was avoiding sitting down... it was clear his week had been worse. Hanji was helping the boy move into his new room, two doors down from Levi's own, though Eren didn't look happy at all over it. Not as happy as he'd thought at any rate. Clearing his throat, Hanji broke into a wide smile  
"Levi! How are you?! Erwin said... no, never mind. Can you do me a tiny favour?"  
He hadn't come out of whatever that was, to do her a favour. Not that she cared, in fact, she probably planned it all to force the pair of them to spend some "alone" time  
"I just need you to keep an eye on Eren for me. I need to run back down to his old room and grab his blankets. Poor guy is pretty exhausted. Thanks, Levi. You're the best!"  
And there it was. Hanji rushing off before he could actually say anything, and leaving him with Eren, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Schooling his features, Levi walked over to the teen, taking him by the arm and leading him to his new bed. The room was filthy, something he itched to do something about, though Eren had come leaps and bounds when it came to cleaning, the kid definitely wasn't up for the task  
"S-sir?"  
"Relax. I'm not about to do anything to you. You look dead on your feet"  
"Sorry sir. Hanji told me I went into heat..."  
"You did. How are you feeling?"  
"About as good as you look, sir"  
"So pretty shitty?"  
Eren gave him a tiny smile, that somehow made the last week seem worth it   
"I... I just want to sleep, but Hanji said I had move up here"  
"You don't want to move?"  
"I don't want to inconvenience people... and I know they're scared of me"  
"That's their problem, not yours"  
"I don't want them to be scared"  
"Then ignore them. They'll get over it"  
"But what if I shift?"  
"Then I'll kill you. I'm two doors down, and can be here before you do any damage"  
"I... I didn't realise"  
The kid was more out of it than he realised  
"Shitty Glasses will probably be a while. You should rest. There's training this afternoon"  
"Training?"  
"You'll not only be training and strategy meetings with my team, but training with the other recruits. As well as attending lessons, and mock battle simulations. On top of assisting Hanji with her research"  
Given how in synch his team was, most of those things were below them. Bumping Eren straight up to his partner meant he'd missed a lot  
"I... what? I thought I was supposed to stay in your care..."  
"I will still be supervising you, but until we have our next mission, we've rearranged your schedule to something a little more normal"  
Eren let out a half strangled sob, before throwing his arms around Levi. Levi tensing immediately, not sure if the kid realised how much more work had just been dumped on him... or if he was about to call him out on the fact he'd just decided everything on the spot. Hopefully Hanji hadn't told him he'd been "indisposed" for the last week. Releasing him, Eren wiped at his face, beaming at him  
"Thank you, for giving me another chance"  
"Don't thank me brat. Just go to bed already"  
"Right... sorry for hugging you"  
"Just try not to make a habit of it"  
Crawling onto his bed, Eren groaned as he sniffed at his pillow  
"This room needs cleaning"  
"You noticed?"  
"Despite what you think, I do pay attention"  
"I was wondering"  
"I'll have to clean it tonight... I'm too tired to care right now"  
"Don't push yourself too hard..."  
"Coming from the man who looks like he went through a heat of his own"  
"Just shut up and go to sleep"  
"I'm working on it"  
Sinking down on the edge of Eren's bed, he knew he should leave, but the kid looked so vulnerable. With silence settling between them, Levi felt Eren's hand brush his hip, the boy's fingers closing around his waist cloth with a happy sigh. Eren was lucky Levi was too tired to deal with it at the moment... or at least that's what he told a cackling Hanji upon her return.

 

*  
Eren was exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted. Levi had packed his schedule, so there wasn't a moment in the day when he wasn't busy. Which meant there was no time to let himself get too caught up in his own self hate. Levi had said to ignored the others, and for the first month it had taken everything he had not to snap at everyone who looked at him the wrong way, or shift and run away when it became too much. Levi had pulled him back from his self implosion, and for that, Eren vowed to be the very best partner he could be. Once the others finally settled down enough not to trip him or "whisper" about him, which wasn't until halfway through the second month of his new routine, the teen actually managed to make a new friend... completely by accident.

The day had been rough. They'd been running battle simulations all day. Sometimes Eren was in his wolf form, sent to scout ahead. Sometimes he was running messages between the various teams. And for the final hour or so, he running around as a Lycan, while Hanji rode on his shoulder giving him directions. He'd been forced to spend another two hours after everyone retired back to the castle, doing simple exercises with Hanji and Levi. Once he was finally dismissed, Eren had staggered up to his room, wanting to climb into bed and sleep for a week, but thanks to Levi's obsession with cleanliness, the teen gathered his things up before heading down to the communal shower blocks. Eren had just turned the taps on when his exhaustion caught up with him, forcing him to shift into his wolf form. Deciding it was too much effort, he sat under the running water until it ran clear and the drain was filled with bits of leaves and twigs. Trying to make the effort to shift, he found he couldn't... leaving him pawing at the taps in a futile attempt to turn them off  
"Do you need some help?"

Jumping and slipping on the wet floor, the girl staring down at him just howled with laugher before reaching over. With a screeching shudder from the pipes, the water cut out  
"There we go. You should head back up before anyone else comes along"  
Making the mental note to thank the girl the following day, Eren padded from the shower, grabbing his clothes into his mouth, and walking from the room. With his exhaustion, Eren forgot about the whole thing.

It was another two weeks before he saw the girl again. Once again he was in the bathroom, this time cleaning with the rest of the group. It wasn't until they were leaving that he noticed her, standing away from the group. Waving Levi's team off, Eren approached her   
"Thanks for last time. I was too tired to shift back"  
"That's what you get for always working. You need to stop letting big brother Levi boss you around, Eren"  
Big Brother? Since when did his partner have siblings?  
"You know my name?"  
"Everyone knows your name. Are you stupid? Did someone drop you on your head?"  
Eren grinned, he couldn't help it. The girl felt like an old friend, not a new one   
"Probably. My mother was always yelling at me for getting into trouble"  
"I can see why. Anyway, you're welcome"  
"For what? Oh. Right. The taps. You should come sit with us at dinner tonight"  
"No, I'm ok. I wouldn't say no to a cookie though"  
Eren snorted. He'd just about kill for proper home cooking... for his mother's cooking. Her sweets were always amazing, just the right amount of sugar... but they had nothing like that here, and Sasha would always eat the ingredients every time they tried to cook  
"I can't help you there..."  
"I know. You better hurry up before Levi comes looking for you"  
"Right. Thanks... uh...?"  
"Isabel"  
"Thanks, Isabel. If you see me around, you should say hi"  
"I will"

After that, Eren always seemed to run into Isabel in the bathroom. It was better than running into Jean or Connie, especially when the pair of them got into towel flicking contests over the slightest thing, and his showers usually ended up being too late for Armin to join. It was weird talking to a girl while he was naked, but Isabel always stayed on the other side of the door, leaving once the taps turned off. She was weird. And loud. And couldn't sing to save her life. And she was a lot like Hanji, without the constant want to poke and prod at him. Though after his panic attack, she'd made it a point of not doing anything more than what the Government wanted tested each fortnight. They weren't fun, but she'd keep him sedated for it, and always snuck in something as a treat for his food behaviour, or she'd spring him for the night, letting him run free for a few hours. 

Having woken early, Eren had taken the initiative by asking Levi to come running. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on his partner, but the nights Levi seemed to sleep badly, were the nights before he ask if Levi wanted to go for an early morning run. The first time he'd asked, Levi looked at him like he'd grown a second head, but now it was his thing... their thing. His small way of asking if Levi was ok, without overstepping his station. Besides, Isabel said keeping Levi busy was the best way to take his mind off things... for someone he'd never seen around the man, she knew a hell of a lot about him. Maybe she had a thing for him? He'd never asked her what she'd meant by the big brother thing... something inside him didn't want her liking Levi... not when he didn't know what the man was to him. He liked spending time with Levi. He liked the fact he could get the man to smile, or to laugh, but each time something like that happened it felt like something would snap, and Levi would push him away. Isabel had assured him that Levi liked him in more than just a friendly way, his heart had nearly burst when she'd told him, yet now he could only see he as a curse. Even if he liked Levi, and Levi liked him, he would never be good enough. So, he'd decided he'd try finding someone to help him out. He didn't necessary need to date them, he just needed Levi to think they were so the man backed off... he'd tried asking Isabel out, but she'd said it would never happen. Sooo, while today's run might have been to distract Levi, but it was also the perfect time to ask the man exactly who Isabel was.

Having finished the trail he liked to call "Levi's in a shit mood", Eren flopped down in the grass, panting hard as his muscles protested being forced to use so early in morning. It wasn't all that early, the sun had been rising as they'd left, and it was still sitting quite low in the sky. Shooting Levi a half-smile, Eren groaned as the man took his hand to pull him up  
"You're about a decade too young to be complaining over such a simple run"  
"I stayed up light..."  
"And then decided to go running? You could still be in bed"  
"A little bird told me you could use the distraction"  
"Does this little bird have Shitty Glasses?"  
"Nope. She's got pig-tails and calls you her big brother"

Levi looked like he'd just been slapped. His steely eyes narrowing as he yanked his hand back from Eren's   
"I don't know what game your playing, but I suggest you stop it"  
Eren was genuinely confused. Levi was actually shaking, his hands clenched into fists   
"I'm not playing any game. Her name is Isabel. She's about yay-high, can't sing and loves cookies"  
Eren didn't have time to react as Levi's fist connected with his face, sending the teen flying backwards from the impact  
"Don't you ever mention her name again"  
"But she..."  
Growling, let raised his hand as if to strike him again, Eren immediately whimper as he cowered   
"I don't know what you've been told, but the next time you say her name. I will personally slaughter you without hesitation"  
Turning, Levi stormed away. His scent causing Eren just as much pain as his nose dripping nose. Did Levi not like Isabel? Was that it? Did they break up or something? No. There was definitely more to this... and somehow he'd made Levi hate him. Confused and hurting, Eren gingerly got to his feet. Tears now rolling down as freely as the blood from his broken nose that wasn't healing. He'd never set out to hurt Levi, especially not on purpose. He'd been trying so hard to be a better partner. And now Levi hated him. Taking off running, he couldn't stop crying. It felt like his heart had shattered, and the pieces were being ground to dust.

Hanji. He'd run to Hanji without even thinking. They'd gotten so close that he'd nearly slipped up and called her mum. Throwing himself into her office, he ran straight up to her and into her hold  
"Eren!? What's wrong, what happened?"  
"I... fucked... up"  
Taking his face in her hands, Hanji eyed his nose  
"Who did this to you?"  
"L-Levi. I didn't mean to make him mad"  
"Come on, let's get this healing and you can tell me all about it"  
"I stuffed up and now he hates me..."  
"I'm sure he doesn't hate you"  
"He does! He told me he'd slaughter me. I'm trying Hanji! I'm trying and what was it all for?!"  
Overrun with emotion, Eren was led out to an examination bed. Hanji sitting him down before grabbing a couple of pieces of thick gauze and placing it against his nose  
"Tell me what happened?"  
"We... sometimes he doesn't sleep, so I invite him to go running... but when we finished... I made him so mad"  
"That's not telling me what happened"  
"I mentioned Isabel and he yelled at me. He told me to stop playing games and told me if I ever said her name again, he'd kill me"  
Hanji let out a long breath  
"Alright. I see what happened. Isabel and Levi used to be best friends, with another soldier named Farlan. This was all a while ago now, but there was a mission that went wrong"  
"But... missions have gone wrong in the past..."  
"Eren, Isabel and Falran were like family to Levi. A bit like you with Mikasa and Armin. They were a band of three, until Falran and Isabel were torn apart by werewolves"  
Eren's eyes widened, before he let out a small laugh   
"Isabel isn't dead... I was talking to her yesterday"  
"Eren, she's been gone for a long time. I promise you, she's very dead"  
"And I'm telling you she's not!"  
Hanji raised her hands in surrender  
"Maybe we're talking about two different people"  
"She said her name is Isabel. She wears her hair in pigtails and calls Levi big brother. She can't sing, but she's sneaky and loves jokes and cookies... she said Levi saved and they kind of together since"  
Hanji frowned at him  
"Where did you meet her?"  
"In the communal showers, about a month and a half ago... I was too tired to shift, so she turned the taps off for me"  
"And you've seen her since?"  
"Almost every night. It's always late by the time I get to shower... and I don't want to creep everyone else... she's always there though"  
"Did Isabel tell you anything else?"  
"That Levi was different and closer to me than I thought... and that he likes me, even though he's old and cranky... and she um... she said he drinks blood"  
Hanji pinched the bridge of her nose, her normal excitement non-existent   
"I think we need to have a little talk, now that you're older"  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
"It might be that with age or with your heats, the wolf side of you is increasing in power. People have often said animal have the ability to sense things humans don't"  
"Are you calling me an animal?"  
"No. But you do have this ability to shift into an animal. Your senses may be heightened because of it"  
"I'm sixteen, not sixty"  
"I know you are. Look. I know you didn't mean to upset Levi, but there is just no plausible way that ghosts can exist"  
"Then what?! Are you saying I made it up?! That I made up that Levi drinks blood?!"  
"No..."  
Eren paled  
"Levi drinks blood?"  
"He does. It's one of the mostly guarded secrets around here... he's not completely human, like you aren't completely human"  
"He what..."  
"We use the generic term of vampire. He can eat and function of human food well enough, but he needs to consume blood fairly regularly to keep his mind and body in check"  
He'd only said it because it sounded insane. Now he was being told that the man who was his hero, wasn't even a human?! On top of her expecting him to believe in ghosts?! Maybe Levi had given him brain damage? Because it kind of felt like it right now  
"Hanji... ghosts and vampires don't exist. We've never even learnt about them... they're not in our books..."  
"Not everything you read or see is the full story. There are plenty of things the government would like to keep secret. If they knew who Levi really was, he'd be in just as much danger as you are. They'd be experimenting on him. Cutting him open to see how he heals. You of all people know why it's so dangerous for him to show his true self"  
"I... didn't know"  
"I don't know if Levi would have eventually told you, but he does care for you. He's also tried to distance himself from you, as your heat sets him off. There's something about you that triggers his other side, making him incredibly possessive of you. It has since the first moment he met you"  
"Why didn't he tell me?!"  
"Because you're going through a lot, and because knowing would put your life in even more danger. He doesn't like people acting or treating him differently because of it. Something you should be well aware of"  
So Levi wasn't being kind because Eren was doing better. He was being kind out pity for the freak which could have just as easily been him... it hurt. It really, really hurt. Levi didn't see him as human, he was just a monster... like he was... he'd never be anything to the man, because after months, he finally got it. Levi only liked him because Eren's fucked up body made him  
"I won't tell anyone"  
"I know you won't"  
"But can I ask a question?"  
"Sure"  
"Who does he feed on?"  
"Either me, or Erwin. Usually Erwin"  
Eren felt like his heart had finally fallen low enough to be sitting firmly in the bottom of his shoe  
"Are they... they're an item, aren't that? Sometimes I smell it on him... I smell Erwin on him"  
"I don't think they're an item..."  
"It would explain why Erwin hates me so much"  
"Erwin doesn't hate you"  
"He does. He only sees me as a weapon, and he gets mad every time I'm with Levi"  
"No. Don't go there. Erwin doesn't hate you, and as far as I know, they aren't an item"  
"I think I want to go back to my room"  
"You're not going anywhere until your nose has healed"  
"It's fine. It'll heal"  
"Eren..."  
"No. I just... I worked really hard Hanji. Being benched from missions was really hard, but then Levi filled my schedule and I thought he actually thought I had potential. Instead he's being forced to be nice to me. I feel so sick"  
"That's not the case at all"  
"That's how it feels... I want to be alone for a bit"  
"I don't think that's wise"  
"Fine. I'll go lock myself in the cell. That's where I belong"  
Slipping off the bed and past Hanji, Eren held the bloody gauze to his nose. He didn't really know when he'd fallen for Levi, but now he knew those feelings weren't real. It was just because they weren't human that they were drawn to each other.

Walking through the halls, Eren literally walked into Armin. Bouncing back from his friend with a growl, before realising who it was  
"Whoa! Eren, are you ok?"  
"Hey Armin. Yeah, I'm fine"  
Mikasa reached up and pulled his hand away from his nose  
"What happened? Did someone hurt you?"  
"Oh. No. It was a stupid accident. That's why it's not healing. Where are you two off to?"  
"Breakfast. You're joining us right?"  
"Hanji said I have to rest today"  
"But..."  
"Eren, we'll bring you something up to your room. You should be laying down"  
"I'm fine, Mikasa"  
"Maybe we should..."  
"Guys, just drop it. Go have breakfast, I'm just gonna go sleep or something"  
"Eren..."  
"Really, Mika. I'm ok. Hanji is just being cautious"  
"Mikasa, we should go. We're not going to get a seat if we wait much longer"  
"See. I'll see you both later"

Now that was unable to lock himself away in his cell, Eren returned to his room. The room he thought he deserved... but it was only so Levi could keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn't realise the man's secret all on his own. At least now he knew why he was attracted to his partner... Levi would probably be revolted if he'd told him. So he never would. He'd start hanging out with his normal friends, maybe even find someone to date. Sure he preferred guys... but there just weren't that many options, and none that would help fix his broken heart. He'd just have to throw the dice and let them roll... maybe people would like him more if he was like some of the other soldiers, who just opened their legs for anyone. He was made for sex... to be bred... his dream of wiping out every single werewolf now seemed laughably naive. Ever since his mum had been eaten... no, even before that, he'd wanted to wipe them out and see the world beyond the walls. He wanted to see the ocean and the lakes of fire. He wanted to see everything that Armin had told him about, and he wanted everyone inside the stupid walls to be free... So since when did his love life become more important? Right. When he'd turned into a fucking Lycan and found out he'd had a womb... at least Hanji had removed it. That was something...

Armin and Mikasa brought him breakfast as they'd promised. By the time they'd arrived, his nose had healed, just leaving the traces of blood behind. While he ate, Mikasa tried to get the truth of the morning's incident out of him, while Armin kept shooting him worried looks. Being inside was only serving to depress him further... but he just couldn't face the outside world yet. What he needed was a mission. Something far away from Levi and everyone else. Something he could take his time and finally get right. So, once his friends left, Eren headed up to Erwin's office.

Despite what Hanji said, Eren was convinced Levi and Erwin were in some kind of relationship. It didn't seem normal for them not to be, not when Levi was feeding on the man. Knocking on the door, he waited for Erwin to grant him permission to enter, the man looking at him almost tiredly when he did  
"Eren, what can I do for you?"  
"I was wondering if there any missions coming up?"  
"You want to go on a mission?"  
"Yes, sir. Even if it's simply scouting the surrounding area"  
"May I ask why?"  
"Because... because I want to be of use, sir!"  
Erwin raised one of his eyebrows, it rippled as if it was actually alive   
"Did you tell Levi?"  
"I haven't seen him since our run this morning, sir. I would like to see how other missions are run, in comparison to working with his team"  
"With his team? Or with Levi?"  
"Uh... Levi, sir"  
"Petra, Eld and Gunther are scheduled to scout the forest to the south of the castle. Would this he acceptable?"  
"Yes, sir"  
"It's surprising you wish to distance yourself from Levi. Did something happen?"  
"No, sir"  
He hated how amused Erwin sounded. He'd been careful to clean the blood from his face and change his clothes. Well, Mikasa had cleaned his face and told him to change, but it still counted  
"There's a cabin to the south, that we've been thinking of claiming for some time. Your mission today is to assess it's usefulness, and structural integrity. Hanji has suggested it in place of the dungeon for when you go into heat. How long ago was your last one?"  
"Nearly two months"  
"Which means another month until your next one hits"  
"Y-yes, sir"  
"Do you have anyone you wish to spend your heat with?"  
"No, sir"  
"Not even, Levi?"  
"No, sir. He may be assigned to watch me, but I would prefer to spend my heats alone"  
"Very well. I'll inform Petra of the mission changes. Be ready to embark in 3 hours"  
Snapping to salute, Eren felt like Erwin was laughing at him internally. He felt like the man knew he couldn't help but have feelings for Levi, so was warning him to back off. He didn't want to step on anyone's toes... or cause any more friction. Erwin said nothing as he left, and Eren... Eren regretted setting foot in his office.

 

*  
It's late by the time the four of them reach the castle. They'd found the cabin, it was a wreck inside but structurally ok, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was the pack of werewolves that had crossed their path. There'd been 7 or 8 smaller, three metre class wolves, with two about 5 metres. Petra's gear had malfunctioned, and when Eren had saved her, she'd scolded him for not leaving her. He couldn't leave her. He didn't care if that was what she wanted, he wouldn't do it. Instead, he'd left her high in a tree and joined Olou and Eld in battle, taking on the two larger werewolves as the smaller ones tried to get to Petra. I'd been messy and rough, Eld explaining that they'd been abnormal werewolves, with higher than usually exhibited rage. Personally, Eren hadn't seen the difference. The moment he'd laid eyes on them, his heart had started racing and the desire to kill them came rushing back. He'd brought the fight five metre down on his own, using the momentum of his descent to plunge his blades down, killing the beast before it even realised. The second, closed in, its rancid breath washing over him as its hand grabbed for his manoeuvre line. Eld struck while it was distracted, taking its arm off and saving him from the situation. Once the two taller ones were dealt with, he acted as the bait to get them away from Petra. Olou and Eld killing the pack while he just looked stupid. Retrieving Petra, it had been a long trip back home, each of them taking turns to manoeuvre with her in their hold until they reached their horses. 

They'd barely dismounted when Levi strode over to him, Eren flinching in expectation of being hurt by the still angry man  
"We need to talk"  
"No. I... this morning was wrong of me, sir. I'm sorry for overstepping my bounds and it won't happen again. Please just forget it"  
"What's going on here?"  
Inserting herself in the conversation, Petra looked from one to the other   
"Is everything ok?"  
"It's fine, Petra. I stuffed up this morning, and I was just apologising to Levi. More importantly, are you alright?"  
"I'm ok. Thank you for rescuing me"  
Levi crossed his arms  
"What happened?"  
"We were attacked while scouting"  
"I'm sorry, but I need to report to Erwin. I'm sure Petra can fill you in completely"  
He might have dumped Levi on Petra, but he didn't want to talk to the man. His stomach was in knots, and his heart still racing from being in his presence. Levi would probably track him down later, but that was then and this was now.

Erwin wasn't impressed over the fact they'd been attacked, the man flying into action to plan an elimination mission for tomorrow. It was rare for werewolves to get so close. Or so he'd said. Reporting everything that had happened, he proud of himself for keeping his voice so even, and managing not to fall into an exhausted heap. Training dummies and simulations were nothing like the real thing. Finally dismissed by the man, Eren dragged himself down to his room, only to find Mikasa and Armin waiting for him. Stumbling in with a yawn, Mikasa caught him and guided him over to his bed  
"I heard you were attacked? Are you ok?"  
"I'm fine Mikasa, just sleepy"  
"You weren't hurt?"  
"No more broken noses. I promise"  
"What happened?"  
Eren huffed at Armin, his smaller friend taking his hand in his, Eren forcing himself not to freak over the pressure on his wrist  
"Didn't you hear?"  
"But... Petra said something about you saving her?"  
"The holding for her anchor was cracked. She had to sit the fight out. Guys can we do this some other time? I just want to go to sleep"  
Mikasa echoed his huff, hugging him tighter   
"You could have died"  
"But I didn't. Do you really think I'd die, knowing what you'd do to me?"  
"She'd probably bring you back, just to kill you all over again"  
"See, Armin agrees. I don't know if you guys are going, but we have a scouting mission tomorrow morning so we all need a good nights sleep"  
"Another mission?"  
"The wolves were pretty clo-o-se"  
Yawning out the end of his sentence, his eyes were starting to close on his own  
"Mikasa, we should go"  
"Alright. Just. Be careful. I can't lose you"  
"I'm not going anywhere"

Too tired to even change, Eren passed out over his bed. Completely dead until the morning.


	18. Chapter 18

Levi's talk with Eren was forced to wait. He'd barely made it into his room, after being hounded by Petra for the last hour and a half , before Eren's two shitty little friends were walking past. Mikasa grumbling over Eren, while Armin was trying his best to reassure her that Eren was alright. He lost his nerve after that, still uncomfortable that he'd actually broken the kids nose... something that Hanji had given him absolute hell over, though she had been slightly more sympathetic towards the end of her lecture given it involved Isabel. In her words, "Eren actually met Isabel". Or thought he had... in the communal showers of all places. When he'd gone to find Eren after his talk with Hanji, Erwin had informed him Eren has already left, which served to make Levi made at the teen all over again. He wasn't great at this apology thing... and he'd seen real fear in the kids eyes. Though the idea of Isabel being a ghost was something he just couldn't accept. She's been loud and annoying with that screaming she called singing in life, but she'd been a good person who deserved a peaceful death... yet, if she was a ghost, he really wouldn't be that surprised, and if she was in the communal showers, he could only imagine the mischief she'd gotten up to.

The following morning, he was once again beaten by Mikasa and Armin. Erwin had sent out a memo to all squad leaders that they would be scouting for remaining werewolves to the south of the castle, which he'd followed up by physically coming to Levi's room and briefing him all over again, as an excuse for shoving his shitty blood down his throat. He wasn't even hungry, his thoughts firmly on Eren and Isabel, so by the time he'd finished up with his commander, Armin and Mikasa were already in Eren's room. The kid was already showered, fed and dressed in his uniform... looking anywhere and everywhere that wasn't at him  
"Eren, are you ready?"  
"Yes, sir"  
"Good. We'll be taking the lead on this mission, if you are ready, we'll be leaving now"  
Eren rose from the bed, Mikasa leaping between the pair of them  
"If Eren's going ahead, we are too"  
"Has Mike granted you permission?"  
"I'm the best new recruit..."  
"Mikasa, it's fine. We all have our roles to play today"  
"But you're not..."  
"I'm fine"  
"Eren, is there something I should know?"  
"No, sir. Mikasa can just be... a little overprotective"  
Levi wasn't in the mood for any of this. He wanted today's mission done. Out of the way. And then to ask Eren just what the fuck he'd meant about Isabel  
"The I suggest you both report to your squad leader"

As obedient as ever, Eren followed him silently out to where the rest of their team was waiting. Petra had already saddled both their horses, the woman smiling at Eren as Eren brushed off her thanks. They'd had a few minutes as they'd walked down to front gathering spot, in which he could have opened his mouth and actually asked Eren what he'd meant, yet, the words had stayed buried, leaving silence between them. As Petra left, Eren went about checking the saddle girth, and smoothing out the bridle straps as he mumbled something to the beast. Maybe it was a good thing they hadn't asked, not when a loss in concentration could lead to death. Mounting his own horse, Levi nudged her over towards Eld and Olou  
"Captain!"  
"Sir!"  
Levi gave them a nod, he didn't particularly want to be trapped with the pair of them. He just wanted this day over with all ready.

 

*   
The ride was a pleasant as the be expected. Eren kept his head down, determined not to be caught in Levi's gaze. The man had looked murderous since setting eyes on him, and nothing had changed that. Not the brilliantly blue sky. Not the gently rippling green grass, or the singing birds. Nope. Levi was glaring at the world as if every little thing was a personal insult. Even the rest of his team were riding half a horse width further away from him than normal. Falling back to ride at his side, Petra nudged her horse close enough for their boots to nearly brush, finally pulling Eren out of his thoughts  
"Are you ok?"  
"I'm fine. If you're going to thank me again, I might have to knock you off your horse"  
Petra let out a small giggle  
"I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated the way you stepped up yesterday"  
"I couldn't let you die. I'd never forgive myself"  
"I'm glad I didn't. But that's not why I moved closer"  
"I had a feeling it wasn't"  
"I wanted to ask if you knew what was going on with Levi?"  
Riiiight. It was hard not to notice his bad mood  
"I accidentally upset him yesterday"  
"How?"  
"It's um... I brought up something I didn't know I shouldn't"  
"You should apologise then"  
"It's a bit hard when he looks like he wants to murder everyone"  
"Levi's reasonable enough. He'll forgive you, if you mean it"  
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure he's not going to be forgiving me anytime soon"  
"I'll have a word to him, don't worry about it"  
Petra pulled away from him, fearlessly facing Levi's wrath, while Eren felt like he'd just made everything a million time worse.

Swapping to manoeuvre gear, Eren felt like they'd barely got their bearings before the telltale howls echoed through the forest. Watching as Eld shot off a flare, Eren pulled his blades free, his eyes scanning for the wolves   
"Do you see anything?!"  
"No. Olou?!"  
"Nothing!"  
"They have to be here, somewhere..."  
Sniffing, Eren span round, back to where the bulk of the other forces where  
"Eren?"  
"We've passed them!"  
Not waiting for the others, Eren fired his anchors, hearing Levi swear as shot forward.

Eren screamed as he abruptly stopped. Olou hadn't even seen it coming. One minute the man was biting his tongue, the next minute... doubling back, he snarled as his blades found the nape of the werewolf with Olou hanging from its mouth  
"Olou!"  
Surging up, Eld caught Olou as he fell from the beasts mouth  
"Eren! Take him!"  
"What..."  
"Take him!"  
Finding his arms now filled with Olou, he couldn't even tell if the man was alive. There just wasn't enough light getting throw the thick tree canopy. He needed help. He didn't know what to do. He could shift, he'd get out the forest faster that way, but now everyone knew his Lycan form. Half screaming in frustration, he threw himself down from the branch he was on, clutching Olou as tightly as he could, trying to find his way back to the rest of the scouting party.

Olou wasn't in a good way by the time Eren finally found Mike's squad, or Mike found him. Given he was coming straight at him, it was probably the latter  
"Eren!"  
"Mike!"  
When Mike landed on the forest floor Eren took it to mean it was safe, landing in front of him, before gently lowering Olou down  
"What happened?"  
"No idea! It came out of nowhere. We noticed they were behind us, and doubled back..."  
His hands were shaking as the pushed down Olou's bleeding side  
"Eren, let me see"  
Moved away by Mikasa, Armin took over   
"We need to get him back to castle!"  
"It's not safe to split our forces"  
"I'll take him..."  
"Eren, you can't go alone"  
"If I shift"  
"You can't shift! Levi's not here!"  
"Then tell me what to do!"  
"Eren, calm down. I will protect you"  
He was supposed to have out grown Mikasa's protection... he didn't need it. He had his blades. He had his gas... and he had his senses  
"No. Stay with your squad. I'm going back to mine"  
"Eren..."  
"Mike, you'll get him back, right?"  
"You shouldn't go alone"  
"Fall back with him. If anyone can survive this, I can"  
Shooting his anchors, he was weaving his way back as Mikasa yelled his name. He'd gotten Olou help, that main thing.

Making his way back to his team, or so he hoped, Eren could smell blood in the air. And his heart dropped. On the floor of the forest, screams where echoed and distorted. He couldn't tell who's they were, but they didn't sound familiar, his spirits temporarily rising, before plummeting in guilt. He shouldn't be relieved that his friends were ok. Those other people all had friends and family...  
"Eren!"  
Angling his body left, Eren landed on the same branch as Eld, the branch giving a low groan  
"Where is everyone?"  
"We were separated. Olou?"  
"With Mike's squad. They're taking him back to the castle"  
"You've seen the others?"  
"There were screams... the forest messes with the sounds..."  
"Can you hear anything else?"  
Eren shook his head  
"My senses aren't as good if I'm not in my wolf or Lycan forms..."  
"I see. Can you shift?"  
"I... yes"  
"Good. You need to shift. We need to regroup"  
"But I'm not allowed to shift without permission"  
"We don't know where Levi is, and we don't have time"  
"Right!"  
Shooting his anchors on the tree across them, Eren swung down to the forest floor. He could feel the whole forest vibrating, whatever was coming... there were more than Eld's blades could handle, and there was no way he was possibly loosing another team member today. With his fears now erased, Eren forced the shift, howling as his Lycan form took shape. For a moment, Eld's hands gripped his blades tightened, Eren able to smell the man's fear. Nodding, Eld relaxed enough to swing down onto his shoulders, his hands thrusting into Eren's fur  
"Can you find them?"  
Nodding, Eren pivoted and ran. It felt like there wasn't a single thing he couldn't find right now, his senses heightened by the urgency of his missing squad.

Dashing through the forest, Eren ignored the werewolves clumsily making themselves known. He could feel how badly Eld wanted to slay them all, and had to admit he was right up there with the same desire, yet he wouldn't risk a solo fight. Eld was human. He couldn't heal like him. Huffing and snorting, his heart was racing as he chased the familiar scent of Levi. Perhaps now that he knew the man drank blood, he could smell a whole new hue in Levi's unique scent. Barrelling over a fallen tree, Eld was nearly dislodged, before actually laughing over it. He had no idea how he could laugh. Not when something catastrophic could happen at any second. Ducking a low branch, Eld shot off his shoulder, causing Eren to stumble to stop. Above him, Petra was supporting Levi. The man holding his knee, in a way that made Eren want to rip from him the tree and hold him close. He wanted to protect him... to take him from the battlefield and lock him away so nothing would ever hurt him. Instead, he howled  
"Eren!"  
Levi's eyes widened at him, his hands going for his blades as Eld assured him he'd asked Eren to shift. Levi wasn't impressed. Not by long shot. It didn't matter. He just had to keep him safe. And that meant Levi had to sit back and watch he could do for now.

The first werewolf that burst out between the trees was relatively small, yet its snapping jaws went straight for him. Snarling as it approached, the only thing Eren was thinking was how this could have been the one to hurt Levi, this lead to something deep inside him snapping, and he honestly couldn't remember what happened after he forced his hands between its jaws. The snapping of bone and it's cries of pain, egged him on, oblivious to the barbaric way he decapitated the beast. Howling again, more were drawn to him. Each kill sending him deeper into the madness.

By the end of it, Eren couldn't remember anything that happened. He'd pushed far from his original position, and everything looked the same. Too exhausted to heal the numerous bites he was covered in, he shifted back to his wolf form, unable to force the shift any further. As he sniffed the air, his senses were on autopilot, his body moving without him really being in control. Everything hurt, and each twig beneath the pads of his paws felt like walking on glass. It was a long and sad walk back to castle that night.

 

*  
Propped up with a pillow under his knee, Levi was about to blow a fuse. Numerous Corps members had reported seeing Eren engaged in battle, yet during the retreat, the boy had somehow managed to get lost. Each squad thinking that Eren would tag onto another, yet when they reached the castle, the shitty brat hadn't been there. If it wasn't for twisting his knee after downing a particularly nasty looking wolf, Levi would have already been out there looking for the kid. He'd known something was off. He'd seen it in Eren's eyes. The way they'd widened before narrowing as he'd fixed him in his gaze... it was like Eren was angry at him for being hurt. After that, the teen had torn a small wolf to shreds with his bare hands. Several smaller ones had attacked, and for some stupid reason Eren had driven them away. The teen soon lost in the thick woodland, while he had both Petra and Eld making a fuss. They both knew his knee would heal, but with Olou being so seriously injured, they'd acted out emotion. Insisting on returning him to the castle before heading out to look for Eren, but once they had made it back, Erwin had deemed a rescue mission too dangerous. They'd lost 17 members, on what was supposed to be a simple scouting mission, and Hanji wasn't confident that Olou wouldn't be the 18th. According to Mike, she'd praised Eren's haste in getting him to them for treatment... still, he could hear Petra crying as she sat by the man's side, even from the opposite end of the infirmary.

Smacking his knee lightly with her clipboard, Levi was about to scold Hanji when sank down next to him. The woman looked exhausted, unable to even fake a smile as she looked to him  
"How you doing?"  
"I'm fine. How much longer am I going to be stuck here?"  
"Trust me. You'd rather be in here than out there at the moment"  
"That bad?"  
"Mikasa and Armin, as well as Eren's other friends wanted to go find him, so Erwin made them muck the stables and clean the tack"  
"Still no news?"  
"None. He did save at least 3 squads from engaging in direct battle, so more people than you'd expect want to go looking for him"  
"He's going to love that"  
"If he makes it back..."  
A pessimistic Hanji was never a good thing, and he was rubbish at making people feel better   
"How's Olou?"  
"He's got a fever. Petra insisted on sitting by his side"  
"They've been friends for years..."  
"Enough about that. Are you hungry?"  
"No... this will heal. The swellings already lessened"  
"You must be getting old"  
"Don't remind me. Where's Eyebrows now?"  
"Drafting his report to the government. Even if we wanted to delay it, too many people know Eren's missing"  
"He does like to make a scene"  
"You and I both know that isn't the case. We've left the torches near the gate burning, so if he does manage to find his way he home, he'll know we didn't give up"  
If he managed to... the words stuck uncomfortably in his chest   
"Levi, what is it?"  
"There was something off with him. The look he gave me before he took off..."  
"What kind of look was it?"  
"I don't know... but I do know he was staring right at me"  
"Do you think he was worried because you were hurt?"  
"He's the one who should be worried... they're not going to like him running around like this"  
"Did you get to talk to him? Could that have been it?"  
"About Isabel? No. I still don't see how that could be true"  
"Because vampires and werewolves are totally everyday topics"  
"But a ghost. We laugh at ghost stories"  
"Maybe we shouldn't... this world is bigger than we could ever imagine. I've got rounds to do, I'll come and check back in with you once they're done. Unless you actually want to listen to me for once in your life and rest like you're supposed to"  
"I can rest in my own room"  
"Erwin wants you here"  
"Of course he does. Do you have any idea how filthy this place is?"  
"And do you have any idea how few fucks I give right now?"  
Levi managed a snort, causing Hanji to shoot him a half smile  
"I'll see you later"

Despite the filthy surrounds, and the persistent smell of blood in the air... and the fact he couldn't get the look that shitty brat had given him out of his mind, Levi found himself drifting off. Though he only realised he'd fallen asleep when he was roused by Hanji shaking him awake   
"Eren's back"  
That's all it took. Scrambling off the bed, he followed Hanji from the infirmary and into her office. Eren was curled up under a pile of blankets on the floor, though clearly alive and breathing   
"He walked back in his wolf form. Collapsing at the front gate, before shifting back"  
"Why isn't he in the infirmary?"  
"The beds are full. Moblit was going to take him up to his room, but I wanted to keep him down here so I could keep an eye on him"  
"He could take my bed"  
"Erwin's going to want to talk to him. It's best that it isn't in front of everyone"  
Erwin was probably going to yell... yeah, perhaps it was better he wasn't in a room filled with injured soldiers  
"Fair point. How is he?"  
"Exhausted, but despite being outside, his temperature is stable. The wounds on his body are healing, and I'm hoping for his sake that the splinters in his hands and feet will be expelled during the process"  
"That bad?"  
"Yeah. As for his abdomen, his stomach doesn't feel raised or bloated, so I'm confident he hasn't eaten or drunk anything since yesterday morning. With a full nights sleep, I'm confident he's going to be just fine"  
"I'll take him to his room"  
"Levi..."  
"He fought his hardest to protect everyone. Even the shitty arsewipes who want him dead"  
"He still might shift"  
"He deserves more than sleeping on the floor"  
Hanji sighed  
"Go on then. But you're explaining all of this to Erwin"  
"That's fine. Besides, after walking home, he's got to stink something fierce"  
"So the truth comes out. You just don't want to be on the same floor with him while he's dirty"  
"He's a walking, breathing, germ factory"  
"I hate to tell you this, but we all are"  
Ignoring her, Levi moved to Eren's side, lifting the boy into his hold. A small smile came across Eren's lips, as if he knew Levi was the one holding him  
"Be gentle with him"  
"I'm not going to hurt him"  
"I mean, listen to what he has to say about Isabel. He really didn't mean to upset you"  
"I... I'll try"

Carrying Eren up to his room, Levi found himself in his own room, rather than the kid's. The first thing Eren needed when he woke was a bath, and that was how Levi was going to justify the fact that he'd settled Eren down in his bed. Sinking down beside him, he pushed back a stray lock of hair that fallen across his face  
"You did good. You saved a lot of people. Don't forget that"

And that was how Levi once again found his conversation with Eren being postponed... and somewhat even more awkwardly, he found himself falling asleep next to the brat.


	19. Chapter 19

Waking up, Eren felt more refreshed than he could remember having felt for a long time. There was a small amount of pain in his feet and hands, but that might have been from the fact he'd had to walk home the previous night... yawning widely, the teen stretched as he opened his eyes, before promptly having a miniature heart attack. This wasn't his room. This wasn't his bed... and oh fuck... his eyes widened in guilt as they landed on Erwin and Levi   
"Good morning, Eren"  
Erwin's stare was scary, and Eren knew he was about to be yelled at  
"Good morning, sirs"  
Opening his mouth, Eren flinched in preparation for the harsh words  
"Well done"  
It took him a few moments to realise what Erwin had said, cautiously he opened his eyes again  
"You're not going to yell at me?"  
"Do you want me to yell at you?"  
"I... what? No... but... I shifted"  
"You did. You were also unaccounted for, for 15 hours, before walking through the front gates and collapsing"  
"I..."  
"What Shitty Eyebrows is trying to say is, you're not in trouble for your actions"  
"I'm not in trouble? I don't understand"  
"Your actions prevented the deaths of multiple Survey Corps members. We underestimated the danger as werewolves hadn't been seen in such great numbers around these parts for the past few years. We lost 17 good soldiers, but by all accounts, the numbers would have been much higher if not for your actions. From us, you will not be facing disciplinary action"  
"But... why? I broke the rules. I shifted under Eld's instructions"  
"With Levi injured, Eld made the correct call"  
His heart was racing. He'd... he'd saved people? Even if he couldn't remember it?  
"Eren?"  
"I'm... in shock"  
Levi snorted  
"You're also stinking up my bed. You slept through the entirety of yesterday"  
"Oh shit! Sorry, sir... wait. Olou! How is he? Did they get him back here in time? How's Petra? And Mike's team..."  
"Olou is still in a serious condition. Hanji doesn't know which way it will go. The rest of the squad Levi and squad Mike are all present and accounted for"  
"Oh thank god"  
Drawing his knees up, Eren pushed the heels of his palms against his eyes, fighting back his tears of relief  
"I just wanted to protect them all so badly"  
"You did. News of your... adventure has already reached the Capital. Too many people saw you to suppress it. I honestly can't say what their ruling will be, given how many werewolves you took out, they shouldn't be too harsh"  
"I... how many?"  
"Roughly 35 of small to medium build"  
35... that... it would have been an accomplish if he'd actually been in his human form   
"And another 3, 7 meter plus with assistance"  
He wasn't even that tall... how the... right, assistance   
"Hanji has requested she be made known when you awake"  
"Ok... I... still don't know what to say"  
"That's obvious. Erwin, I think you've scared him enough. Brat, you stink. Get in the shower while I air the room"  
"Right. Sorry, sir"  
Holy shit... he'd slept in Levi's bed and Levi hadn't killed him in his sleep... no wonder he felt so well rested... no. No. No. Not going there. Levi made his feelings very clear before, just because he'd been praised, he shouldn't let it make him so ridiculously happy!

On pained feet, Eren walked through to Levi's bathroom, feeling every bit as filthy as he was. His body was smeared in blood and mud... and other stuff he didn't even want to think about. Climbing into the shower, Eren melted under the warmth of the water. Communal showers never got this warm. The communal showers were also never this quite, not since meeting Isabel. Scrubbing down with Levi's soap, Eren struggled to keep his thoughts "pure", his body was smothered in Levi's scent, slick beginning to run down his thighs. Fuck... nope. He wasn't going to jerk off in Levi's shower. He'd never live it down! Wrenching the taps off, he stumbled back out the shower, snagging the first towel he saw, before storming from the bathroom, and ignoring Levi as he marched through Levi's bedroom, Levi calling out something about leaving shitty water across his floor. It didn't matter. Between Levi seeing him half hard, and Levi yelling at him over a wet floor. He definitely knew what he preferred.

Diving into his bed Eren gathered his blankets over his shameless crotch, before snatching his pillow up and burying his face in it. Out of everyone in the world, why did have to have a thing for Levi?! Right... his wolf side. This was nothing... nothing at all...  
"Oi, shitty brat! What the fuck was that?! Are you seriously trying to smother yourself?"  
Shrieking, Eren ripped his face away from his pillow, mortified by the sound from his lips  
"Brat?"  
"Sorry, sir... could you please leave"  
Levi looked ready to laugh, Eren's voice ridiculously shrill. Covering his mouth, Levi half turned  
"Sure. Hanji's on her way up. You might want to take care of that before she gets here"  
Pointing straight at his crotch, Eren's hands moved on their own, trying to recover some shred of... of something...

"Oh, hey Hanji. You might want to give the kid a minute. He's got his hands full"  
Darting into the room, Levi finally let out that small laugh as Hanji plopped herself down on his bed  
"Have fun"  
Never had ever wanted to punch Levi as much as he did right now  
"Uh, is now alright? You look a little flushed"  
Why had he walked home? He should have just let the werewolves eat him  
"H-hormones"  
"Oh, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You're a perfectly teenage boy"  
"Haaaaanji"  
"Alright. I know how embarrassing it must be. Buuuut, was it because of Levi?"  
Eren spluttered, Hanji cackling   
"I'm sorry. I'm teasing. Anyway, Erwin said your hands and feet still haven't healed"  
"It's just splinters"  
"You have no idea how worried I was when you didn't come back with the others"  
"I'm sorry, Hanji. I don't really remember what happened"  
"You saved a lot of people, that's all that matters. Now, give me your hands"  
Having Hanji pull splinters from his feet and hands while slicking was not his idea of fun, but as Hanji babbled on about how many soldiers wanted to thank him. It was awkward and super weird, but now he was accepted? Who knew going crazy would actually be for his benefit?  
"Eren, are you alright?"  
"I'm fine. Are you nearly done?"  
"I've been done for the past few minutes. Want to tell me what you're thinking?"  
"I... it's just weird. You're telling me people want to thank me. Even Erwin didn't yell at me for shifting"  
"I know Erwin seems harsh, but that's only because of his position. He has to act like he doesn't care, but each and every member of the Survey Corps means a lot to him. You prevented a lot more people being hurt or dying, and you even got Olou to help"  
"How is he?"  
"He lost a lot of blood, but he's hanging on. Petra has been by his side since she returned"  
"And I guess there's no need to ask about Levi"  
"He twisted his knee, but he was healed within a few hours of returning"  
"So that's what happened"  
A twisted knee wasn't so bad... not as bad as all the mental images he'd conjured   
"Hanji, I think something happened when I shifted"  
"What kind of something?"  
"Well... I... I wanted to protect everyone, and when I saw Levi was hurt... I don't remember what happened next"  
"You don't remember?"  
"No... I don't. What's wrong with me?"  
"Nothing's wrong with you. Wanting to protect everyone is admirable"  
"But I couldn't remember. I wanted too hurt whatever hurt... my squad"  
"Hmmm... for now, I'll have a little think about it all and get back to you. Given your hands and feet are healed, go ahead and get dressed. You need to eat, and funnily enough, so do I"  
Hanji sat there, staring at him expectantly   
"Hanji, I'm not getting dressed in front of you"  
"Oh! Right! Silly me. I'll just pop my head in and check on Levi. Feel free to rush"  
"Aren't I supposed to take my time?"  
"I'm super hungry, so no"

 

Being suddenly popular was confusing. Way too many people wanted to talk to him, including people he didn't even know, and people who'd treated him like he didn't even exist... and it was exhausting. By lunch time he'd been forced to talk too so many people that he was now hiding... in his wolf form... and under Hanji's desk, which Hanji had found it hilarious. It was nice not be to hated, but his hormones couldn't handle all the scents of everyone talking to him, and there was only so many times he could take being told he smelt like a wet dog, even when the words were softened with a slight giggle. Being hated was easier.

 

*  
Squatting down by Hanji's desk, Levi sighed at Eren. The boy looked pathetic with his ears flat and tail tucked up between his legs   
"Hanji said you were hiding in here. I think you and I need to talk"  
Eren huffed, crawling across the floor on his stomach until he could sit up properly  
"I want to talk about Isabel"  
Shifting back, Eren nodded, a frown on the boys pouty lips  
"I didn't mean to upset you. Hanji explained she was special"  
"She... I didn't have a lot of friends, but her and Falran were more like family"  
"I know how that feels"  
"I'd already been alone for a long time before they came along, but it was surprising how close we got. Because of me, Isabel and Farlan died, and now you tell me you've been talking to Isabel. How am I supposed accept that?"  
"I didn't realise she wasn't human... she just always seemed so happy when she talked about you, and I was confused over why she was never around"  
"You didn't realise she wasn't human?"  
"It's not my fault. I didn't know ghosts were even a thing. How are they a thing?!"  
"You're a Lycan, wondering why ghosts are real?"  
"Werewolves are a common thing"  
He had him there. It was on the tip of Levi's tongue to assure Eren there were a great many things out there they didn't understand, instead he shook his head  
"Do you think you can show me?"  
"Show you?"  
"I've been here a lot longer than you have, but I've never seen her"  
"Hanji said it was 'cause of my wolf side"  
"In other words, she really has no idea?"  
"Pretty much. I'm still really sorry. I never meant to pry. Ok, I meant to pry, but we all have memories we'd all keep in the past"  
"No. I overreacted. I'll give you a moment to get ready, then we'll go see Isabel"  
Not that actually believed Isabel was a ghost, but if she was, he needed to see it for himself.

Evicting the few soldiers in the showers, Levi leant against the doorway, waiting for Eren to do whatever he did. The kid was standing there, looking like he was about to faint  
"So, is she there?"  
"Yeah... she's laughing because you don't believe in ghosts"  
"What the hell's she doing here?"  
"She couldn't leave you alone"  
"Tch. Seriously?"  
"She said you'd always been alone and you save her, so she wanted to be there for you. But you never noticed her"  
"How am I supposed to see a ghost?"  
"Don't asks me. I don't know how this work. Isabel says the same"  
"Well can't she like move on? Or whatever ghosts do?"  
Eren blushed bright red  
"What did she say?"  
"Uh... I wonder if there's some way she can actually talk to you"  
"Just spit it out"  
"She... enjoys perving on everyone. And says you should probably stop messing around in the shower"  
"Isabel. Seriously!"  
So much for not having an audience... Wait. Did Isabel actually... oh fuck... there was a pause before Eren started laughing, nodding to whatever Isabel was saying   
"Isabel! Pass on already!"  
"She's just laughing now. This really isn't working. She reckons she's got gossip on everyone"  
"It's her fault for spying on things she didn't need to be"  
"Isabel, shhh. Seriously. I don't need to know this!"  
"What's she saying now?"  
He still had absolutely no evidence she existed... Eren was at the age where he randomly blurted out things and popped random boners, like he did that morning, stinking out bathroom with the scent of honey... and blood  
"Eren?"

Turning on the spot Eren's eyes were wide, the smile on his face huge as tears welled in his eyes  
"Big Brother!"  
Launching himself on him, Eren nuzzled against his neck. The kid still smelt like himself, confusing his senses. He'd held Eren before, but never had the kid throwing himself at him so happily and willingly... no. This wasn't Eren...  
"Big Brother! How could you not notice me?"  
"I-Isabel?"  
"The one and only! Oh, I've missed you. How are you?! I mean, I know how you are! I've seen everything... but wow! I'm so hungry!"  
Levi clamped his hand over Er-Isabel's mouth before she could start ruining his hearing with that insult she called singing  
"Isabel, did Eren say you could do this?"  
Biting his hand, Isabel's smile didn't falter in the slightest as she darted from his hold  
"Yep! He's such a sweetie... I can see why you like him"  
"You mean "You can see why you like him""  
"He's a good kid. He's so much like you. Does he know about your little drinking problem?"  
"No. Why would I tell him?"  
"Because he likes you! And it would make him feel better. It would make you both feel better. I worry about you big brother"  
"You have nothing to worry about"  
"Because you didn't sleep with Erwin? Erwin really likes you"  
Did everything she said have to be in the same teasing tone? Especially from Eren's lips... it was more than a little weird... if she stayed in one place for long enough, he could see her features overlaying Eren's, but Isabel had always had a problem with staying still   
"I didn't sleep with Erwin"  
"Eren thinks you did"  
"I... he... what?"  
"Well you did go all blood crazy. I'm not surprised if you don't remember. And Erwin doesn't like Eren all that much, though he does want to confine Eren"  
"Isabel. What are you even saying?  
"Oh. Right. Well. Eren really likes you. He looks up to you, and Erwin doesn't like that. You probably don't remember, but when you went all..."  
She paused to claw his hands and bare her teeth as she growled  
"You fully tried to attack him"  
"Isabel, I have no idea what you've been imagining, but no. Things aren't like that between Erwin and I"  
"I've see him. Even when you haven't. Did you know he's just as bad as Underground filth? He thinks about you, when he..."  
"I do not need to be hearing this from you..."  
"I'm just saying"  
"No, you're letting your imagination get the better of you. Seriously. How are you even here?"  
"I have no idea... I remember what happened, then I was waking up here. I mean, not exactly here. I was in my quarters, but no one could see me"  
"And you didn't think of trying to find a way to tell us you were here?"  
"I did! You have no idea what it's been like. You know, the only good thing about the showers is all the bad singing"  
"Seriously? Couldn't you have travelled? You could have seen the whole world"  
"Nope. I can't go further than the castle walls. But it's not all bad... I got to meet Eren"  
"He's a Lycan"  
"So? You're a vampire and I'm ghost"  
"He's also my subordinate"  
"You like him. I know you like him. You're allowed to be happy"  
"I have too much blood on my hands for that"  
"You're not the only one. Eren spent hours trying to get over killing that woman, and you didn't even tell him she was a vampire. You might as well admit it, he loves you and you love him"  
"Isabel, I swear to god. I'll kill you all over again"  
"No you won't. Hey, can we go eat? I mean... it's been a while"  
"It's still the same shitty rations"  
"I don't care. Do you remember how good everything taste when we first got here? We didn't have to fight or kill, and Hanji gave me cookies"  
"Hanji is a giant pain in my arse"  
"Eren could take that spot"  
"Isabel!"  
Er-Isabel snickered  
"Let me have my fun"  
"Not at Eren's expense. You're currently in his body"  
"I always wondered what it would be like to be a guy..."  
"No. Don't go touching Eren's body. One meal, then you're out"  
"And you could be in"  
Gripping Eren's arm, he pulled the brat towards the door   
"Hey! You're going to bruise him. I know you like it rough..."  
"Being a ghost has perverted you. No more talking like that"  
"Aww, why not? It's coming from Eren's lips. Should I say "Oh Levi?", I could pout"  
"Do it and I'll murder you a hundred times over"  
"Oh Levi. My big strong partner... Levi, yes, Levi!"  
He was praying Eren wouldn't remember a word of this, and that he'd wake up and find this was all a dream.

"Hanji!"  
Running from his side, Eren threw his arms around Hanji. Squeezing her hard enough for the woman to squeak before Er-Isabel released her  
"Nice to see you too... Eren?"  
"Isabel"  
"You're what? Isabel?! How? How is this possible?"  
"I don't know, but don't encourage her. She's agreed to leave his body after she has something to eat"  
"This is so weird. Is it really you, Isabel?"  
"Yep! I'm sorry big brother is such a pain"  
"It's Eren's lips moving and his voice... but I never thought I'd hear him say something like that"  
"Because it's Isabel"  
"You should have seen his face when I started moaning his name"  
Hanji doubled over laughing  
"I wish I'd seen that"  
"I told you not to encourage her"  
"But Levi, she could say anything!"  
"That's the problem"  
"Isabel, we should talk. Levi, can you go get Isabel something to eat?"  
"Cookies please!"  
"Isabel, I don't think we have any"  
"Fine. Something sweet then?"  
"I'll see what I can do"  
Why was he readily agreeing to feed a ghost?! Eating was disgusting, yet it was the only thing she wanted? Erwin definitely couldn't find out about this... ghosts... it sounded like a shitty book.

Having not found anything sweet other fruit, Levi had peeled and cored a few apples and oranges, not bothering to arrange them nicely on the plate. Letting himself into Hanji's office, he found Isabel and Hanji howling with laughter, and had no doubt it was at his expense   
"Big Brother... oh my gosh... Hanji is so much fun"  
"I brought you fruit. We didn't have anything sweet"  
"I don't really care... I just wanted to have one more meal with you"  
An uncontrollable lump formed in Levi's throat at Isabel's earnest words. Sliding off their desk, Hanji gave Isabel a quick hug   
"It was nice to see you again, Isabel"  
"Thank you, Hanji. And thank you being such a good friend to Levi"  
"He's in good hands Isabel"  
"Between you and Eren, I have nothing to worry about"  
"You have plenty to worry about. They're two biggest air heads I know"  
"I love you too, Levi"  
Isabel giggled. Which actually sounded beautiful from Eren's lips. Taking the spot Hanji had vacated Levi placed the plate of fruit down in front of Isabel  
"Do you really not know how you got here?"  
"No. Hanji asked the same thing, and wanted to take some blood samples..."  
"Of course she did..."  
"I know Eren doesn't like needles that much, so I said no"  
"He doesn't? He gets hurt enough that he should be used to them by now"  
"You didn't see what they put him through. Big Brother, it was horrible. They cut him open just because they could"  
"I know"  
"You don't. You think you do, but you don't. He was so lonely when he first got here. And all he wanted to do was help everyone..."  
"Isabel, these are things Eren probably doesn't want me knowing"  
"So? He told me about them. He really respects you, that's why he worked so hard at everything he did"  
"You're saying it like I didn't notice"  
"Did you?"  
"Of course I noticed. He's not exactly hard to miss"  
Popping a slice of apple in her mouth, Isabel moaned  
"I've missed food, soooo much"  
"You should have tried harder to talk to me"  
"I did! I played with your taps. I wrote on your windows. I rearranged all your paper work, I even tried hanging off you, but you never noticed"  
"I'm sorry. And I'm sorry you ended up like this. It was my fault. I never should have left you"  
"It wasn't your fault. None of us knew how the day was going to play out, and I've seen how much you've suffered over it. Big Brother, you have no idea how happy you made me, and made Farlan. We weren't related by blood, but you were family. We were a family"  
"Izzy..."  
"I love you big brother. And I know this is really weird, but I'm happy I got to talk to you like this"  
"Yeah. You're not too annoying when you're not talking about Eren"  
"We would have been awesome friends. He's so funny"  
"I don't think I've seen him... funny"  
"That's because you don't listen to him. You're too busy trying to put space between you and him"  
"He's a brat"  
"Who's been through more than most of the soldiers here. You are allowed to be happy. You deserve to be happy. No matter, Eren is going to accept you. He cries for you. Not like that, but in his sleep sometimes, or in his heat. Did you even know he had his birthday? He's already 16 and no one did anything. His friends were all out with Mike, so he lied and said your team did something so they wouldn't feel bad"  
"Why didn't he tell us?"  
"He didn't want to be a burden... anyway. The next heat he has, don't make him go through it alone. He hurts so much"  
"I... I'll think about it"  
"Thank you, Big Bro. I'm proud to be your sister"  
"And I'm proud of you, Isabel. I never told you enough, and then you were just... gone"  
Finishing another slice of apple, Isabel wrapped her arms around him  
"Thank you"  
Pushing a not so sibling like kiss to his lips, Eren slumped against him. It was a strange sensation, but he swore he felt the moment Isabel left Eren. Holding the boy tightly, after moving his lips from his, Levi found himself breaking down, crying softly again Eren. There were a million and one things he wished he'd thought to ask her, but hopefully now she could have moved on, and finally found the peace she deserved.


	20. Chapter 20

Eren didn't remember anything about what Isabel and Levi talked about, only that Isabel was gone now... when he really needed a friend. Olou had succumbed to his wounds. Despite Hanji's best efforts, he still passed away... and all the kind words towards him now sat heavily in his gut. He'd been so sure that Olou would survive. He'd fought hard, hanging on for over a week but infection had set in, his condition spiralling after that. Tonight everyone was drinking in "celebration" of the memory of those that had been lost. Not up for the company, Eren had swiped a couple bottles of the stuff the officers had been drinking, and holed up in his room. But the more he drank, the worst he felt. It was like some massive abyss had opened inside of him, sucking all the happiness from the world with it. He was on his second bottle before his friends found him, having swiped their own bottles of booze. Though his room was far too small, Jean, Connie, Sasha, Mikasa, Armin and Krista were all there with him now. A few other recruits had somehow managed to end up there too. While the company was kind of nice, no one actually understood. He'd respected Olou. He was a crucial part of the team, and now he was gone forever. It wasn't fair. Olou deserved to live. Not like him...

As the night slipped away his friends gradually left, due to the fact Levi's room was so close to his. More than a little drunk, he didn't even know what he was doing or saying, only that he didn't want to be alone. Not anymore. He wanted someone to want him and to care about him... if it was just for the night. Laying back on his bed, he felt the weight shift as some climbed in next to him. With his eyes still closed, lips ghosted against his as if he'd voiced his need for contact outloud. Not caring who it was, he kept his eyes closed and gave up, the kissing slowly growing more heated until the pair of them were grinding up against each other, Eren panting for more as they fumbled each other's pants open, at least it was a guy... that was something... palming at his partner's erection, he mewed as his own fisted roughly. He needed more. He wanted this empty feeling filled, bucking their hips up against each other, he was so close when they were interrupted   
"What the fuck do you two think you're doing?!"  
The kiss was broken, the warm body pulled away from him by Levi of all people  
"Are you shitty brats seriously drunk?! You. Get out!"  
There was a mumbled "Yes, sir", before the thud of stumbling steps left the roof  
"Are you serious?"  
Panting, Eren couldn't care less if Levi could see his tenting erection. If Levi liked to interrupt his "fun", then he could see what he was missing   
"What does it even matter?"  
"What do you mean, "What does it matter?". Your body isn't normal. You can't just let someone between your legs because you're sad"  
"Whatever"  
"Eren..."  
"What the fuck do you expect me to do?! If... if I'd done better or been better, Olou might have survived! Now he's dead! I hate this! I hate being this monster! I hate it!"  
Breaking down into sobs his whole body shook, finally he curled into himself as he screamed into his pillows  
"I hate this! I hate it!"  
"Eren..."  
"Don't say my name! Don't say it like you care! No one fucking cares!"

There was a snarl, then Eren was being lifted from his bed  
"Olou died. He died and it's fucking shitty, but we all tried our hardest to save him. Hanji gave her everything. Petra stayed by his non-stop. We're all fucking hurting"  
"I'm so tired of hurting"  
"We all are"  
Levi carried him from his room, the walk was short before he was lowered back down again  
"Stay still, you can't sleep like that"  
For a second Eren's heart leapt, before he realised what Levi meant. Stripping off his pants and boots, Levi then covered him with his blankets  
"S-sir?"  
"I'm not going to leave you alone tonight"

Passing out in his captains bed, Eren had no idea things were going to be worse once morning came.

 

*  
Flustered, Levi watched Eren sleeping in his bed. He'd walked in some heavy petting, after catching Eren's scent in the hallway, and damn near imploded on the spot. With his legs spread, Eren and the male Corps member were in their own world, clumsily and sloppily palming at each without caring about the fact the door was wide open. He felt... enraged. Enraged that someone else was touching Eren. And betrayed by his emotions because he knew how badly he wanted to kill the kid touching Eren. They hadn't talked much since Isabel had possessed Eren, but the kid had done all his duties faultlessly. He'd thought he was ok, but Olou's death was hitting all of them hard. Saying goodbye was never nice. But perhaps because he'd spoken to Isabel, the pain wasn't exactly what he'd thought it would be. Olou had died with Petra by his side. Knowing he was loved and respected, and that his body would find its way back to his family. Levi had hoped to talk to Eren, but the brat had passed out on him before he could.

Waking Eren, the boy looked like shit. Yawning softly as he crawled from Levi's bed with a small whine  
"What happened?"  
"You had a bit too much to drink last night, but I don't have time to fill you in on the particulars"  
"I... don't think I like alcohol"  
"You should definitely stay away from it. We need to get you showered and down to Hanji"  
"What? Why don't to Hanji?"  
"During yesterday's wake, we have two government officials arrive. They want to run tests again"  
Eren's already pale face lost its remaining colour. The teen clamped a hand to his mouth as he rushed to the bathroom, his sound of wretching summing up Levi's feelings on the matter entirely.

The two officials had already made themselves at home in Hanji's office, Hanji having been evicted to the hallway where she playing with pony tail nervously. Clearing his throat to give her the heads up that they were approaching, the woman pushed herself away from the wall with her foot   
"Eren! I'm so sorry. I didn't know they were coming"  
"Not so loud Hanji. He discovered the delights of alcohol last night"  
"Ooooh! Is he having his first hangover? I hope you've made him drink plenty of water"  
"No. I thought I'd just shove him into your office without anything to eat or drink"  
"Levi!"  
"He's joking Hanji..."  
Truthfully, he'd tried to make Eren eat and drink something, but the boy had nibbled on some bread before deciding he couldn't eat  
"Do you know what they have planned for him?"  
"No. I'm not allowed to see any of their test results or even be present. Also, Erwin was looking for you"  
"For me, or for Eren"  
"For you"  
Shuffling past him, Eren let Hanji pull him into a hug  
"You should go see Erwin, I'll be ok"  
"Eren, you don't have to put up with this. You can demand they stop at anytime. Or call for me, or Erwin. You don't deserve to go through everything alone"  
"It'll be fine... I'll be fine. Where am I going?"  
"They're waiting in my office"  
"Ok... I guess I'll see you both later"  
The kid looked like a kicked puppy as he let go of Hanji, the look making Levi wish he could steal him away from the pain to come, but apparently Shitty Eyebrows wanted him. Staying long enough for Eren to disappear from his sight, Levi then turned to leave  
"Let me know the moment they release him"  
"Will do. I'm worried though. His next heat..."  
"You're worried they'll send him into heat early?"  
"Yes. There's a house Erwin wants Eren to use for his heats, but if he goes into heat here... There's nothing prepared"  
"Make a list of what you think he'll need. I'll take care of it once I've talked to Erwin"  
"I don't think he'll give you permission to act alone"  
"I don't care what he wants. We both know Eren's going to be tortured again, and we both know he won't be fit to return to active duty immediately"  
"Oh! So you're going to take him down to the house?"  
"Sometimes I wonder how someone so smart, can take so long to catch on"  
"Did you just admit I was smart?! Aww, Levi! Come here"  
Flipping Hanji off, Levi stormed away before she hug him. He didn't understand why she always had to be like this. Couldn't she just not make a big fuss about these things? 

Levi's lack of sleep had his legs aching as he marched along the hall to Erwin's office. His mind was a whirl of thoughts, most over the guilt he felt over leaving Eren in the Governments hands. Reaching Erwin's door, he knocked light and let himself in   
"Levi. Come in"  
Raising his arm, Levi shook his head  
"I'm not hungry. Hanji said you wanted to see me?"  
"I have a mission for you"  
"For me? Or for Eren and I?"  
"Eren will not be available until after his heat"  
"What? Why?"  
"The Government has been working on a potential suppressant. If all goes well, his heat won't happen at all"  
"They found a way to stop them?"  
"Potentially. As I said, I have a mission for you and for the rest of the squad"  
"We just Olou"  
"I know, and as unfortunate as it is, we can't delay"  
"What about Eren? What if he shifts?"  
"I've been assured he will be sedated, not killed"  
Because that was going to work... not...  
"Levi, we can't afford for you to sit this one out. There was recently reports of intelligent werewolves, other than Eren. Naturally, as this information has come second hand from individuals in the Underground, we don't expect it to be accurate, yet we're on official warning over Eren's actions"  
"They're using the fact he shifted and saved lives to make you chase after your own tail again"  
"We aren't in a position to say no"  
"That's why Eren's off being tortured again, and we're rubbing our noses in the lap of the Government like a bitch in heat"  
"Levi. None of us want this for Eren. If though Hanji removed his womb, he still goes into heat and I know I don't have to remind you how problematic that is"  
"And what if does go into heat? What if I'm sent into whatever that was again"  
"Hanji is calling it a blood rut. You were consumed with both the need for blood and to breed"  
"It sounds fucking disgusting"  
"Take it up with her. I've prepared extra vials for your trip"  
"If I'm going that far, I'm going to need money"  
"What for?"  
"Information isn't free. I'm not going to get anything out of anyone without a generous amount of money. Besides, Hanji needs supplies"  
"I'll need a full report for reimbursement. Receipts too"  
"I know how to do this, but you're not going to be getting receipts from the underground"  
Slowly opening his bottom drawer, Erwin pulled out a coin pouch, throwing it on the table with a sigh  
"Take whoever you need. Petra might wish to visit her family"  
"Will we be escorting Olou's body?"  
"No. He will escorted separately"  
"She should be with him. She knows the family. I'll take both Eld and Gunther. The three of us will we enough"  
"You have my permission to embark once prepared"  
Erwin offered his arm again, Levi walking across the room to take it in his hands, his teeth sliding into Erwin's arm  
"Drink what you need"  
If he did that, Erwin would be drained. Maybe he should just drain his commander anyway? They'd hardly been acting like the friends they were supposed to be... he wasn't entirely innocent, but even this mission felt like something thrown together to seperate him from Eren. Though that may have been his own paranoia.

 

*  
The Underground never changed, it was still the shitty cesspool he remembered it to be. The streets were clogged with rubbish, the drains all blocked and the aqueduct running through the middle of the place was choked with rubbish and river weeds, while its water was an unhealthy green. Nothing ever changed here, and nothing ever would. No one had the strength of will to rise above and any who were idiotic enough to think they could change things, were the first to find a knife in the back. Their bodies would be picked clean, clothes and all, before being left to rot like a pile of trash, that even their family disowned. With all things laid so open, there was little wonder why Eld and Gunther were both armed to the teeth.

They'd arrived in the Underground four days prior, and despite having spent a generous amount of Erwin's money, all they'd learnt was their were still people stupid enough to try their luck outside the walls. Honestly, Levi wanted to wash his hands on all of this and return the castle, as all he could think was that Eren was being tortured while he was in a hell of his own, but Eld and Gunther were persistent and insistent. They'd covered over half the usual dives, and Levi was absolutely sure they weren't about to hear anything magically useful. Still, here they were at another one. Levi somehow locked in a glaring contest with the bar keeper, who had nothing to say to a dog of the military. Even if pulling a knife had brought him up short, the man was staying tight lipped  
"Do you, or do you not know anything about recent werewolf attacks"  
Spitting in his face, the man laughed openly. With a fluid move, Levi pinned the man's left hand to bar, cutting off his little finger with a satisfying ting when the blade hit the metal of the bar  
"Remember anything yet"  
"I ain't got nothing to tell you!"  
Screaming it now, Levi rolled his eyes as he hefted a sigh  
"Then who does"  
"Ke-nny. He's the one shooting his mouth"  
"Kenny?"  
"The reaper"  
"He's dead"  
"No he ain't!"  
"I killed Kenny with my own hands. Whoever that is, it's not Kenny"  
"He calls himself Kenny!"  
Whimper pathetically, Levi released his hand. The man pulling it up to his chest   
"I suggest you give me some real information if you want to keep all the rest of your fingers"  
"I don't got anything else to say! You know what it's like here! Without rumours, this place would be too boring to stomach"  
"So you're saying everything werewolf related is a joke?"  
"Them up there were talking about it"  
"And Kenny?"  
"He's the one who goes out the walls!"  
Whatever this man had been drinking, it was clearly killing off whatever was left in the braincell department. He probably couldn't wipe his own arse. So much for the bravado he'd tried to portray. With his ruined reputation, this place would probably be looted and burnt to the ground by the end of the night  
"You're lucky I don't take another finger for wasting my time"  
"Sir?"  
"We're leaving. There's nothing here"  
"What about Kenny?"  
"He's long gone. You're free to stay if you really want"

Returning to sunshine, it felt like his skin was trying to shed it outer layer. The filth attached its self within seconds of stepping foot down there, and it felt like no matter how many times he scrubbed, he'd never be clean. As Eld and Gunther split off from him, Levi returned to the room he was using at the Military base, impressed to find the supplies he'd requested had already been delivered. Most of them were for Eren, and to stock the house he'd used for his future heats. The blankets, pillow and soap he already purchased sat almost forgotten in the corner of his room. He'd taken his time on the first day at the Capital to make sure he'd have the money to buy Eren nice things... nicer things. Things the kid would like and would help to assure him that he was indeed human. He wasn't going to stay with the kid for his heat, but he could make sure Eren was doing better mentally before he entered it. 

An hour later the clothes he'd been wearing were in the trash, a fresh uniform felt almost like heaven in comparison to those disease riddled things. Sitting on his bed, he was checking his correspondence. There was nothing of real interest. Erwin had sent a letter saying Eren was still being held, but he hadn't shifted. Olou's body had been returned to his family and Petra was taking a weeks leave. The woman would be rendezvousing with them at the end of the week... meaning he was now stuck for another 2 days. Fucking Shitty Eyebrows and fucking Petra. And fuck the bartender for bringing up Kenny. If he could forget the man, he would in a heartbeat... He could just picture Kenny's smug face when he came face to face with whoever had taken up his name. That creepy smile. The laugh. The double tap to heart for insulting him. Everything about the man had revolted him and maybe that was why he was half tempted to track down whoever was using his name. Just to see the difference with his own eyes. Sighing to himself, he forced himself off the bed and over to the desk, he needed to pen a reply back to Erwin.

With next to nothing to do, the next two days passed exceedingly slowly. His presence had brought out the weirdos of the Military base, many of them wanting to ask his advice. Eld and Gunther had both found it funny until he'd starting sending them pair of them to answer any all questions, filling their schedules to the point where his own was empty. The only thing of any importance that he'd accomplished in those two days was picking up a few nice tins of black tea, and new fine china cup.

 

*  
Petra talked almost nonstop during the ride back to the castle. The woman in much higher spirits than expected, leaving him wanted to yell at her to shut up. Erwin hadn't replied to his last message, and fucked up dream about Kenny had left him feeling on edge. Next time, Erwin could send someone else to the Underground, because it had been a colossal waste of his time. He could have literally been watching paint dry and it would have been more enjoyable, not to mention he wouldn't have had to destroy a set of clothes of it. Nudging his heels, his horse broke into gallop, the wind feeling refreshing as it chased the last lingering scents of septic from his nose. Fuck the Underground.

Having dropped back to trot, Petra moved to his side again. The woman frowning at him as if he'd done something wrong  
"Sir?"  
"What is it?"  
"Eld and Gunther mentioned Eren was being experimented on again. Do you think he'll be ok?"  
"No"  
"No, you don't?"  
"No. I'm expecting it to be a shit storm when we get home"  
"Do you know what they're doing to him?"  
"They have some procedure that is supposed to stop his heat"  
"Is that safe?"  
"How am I supposed to know?"  
"It's just... Eren is such a kind kid"  
"He's certainly worked his way into your heart"  
"He gave everything he could to try and help Olou. I wish I knew how to thank him"  
"Like that"  
"Like what?"  
"Eren's pretty thick. If you want to thank him, than you actually have to use the words"  
"He seemed annoyed the last time I thanked him"  
"The fact you did so 8 times had nothing to do with it"  
"Maybe. I still wish I could give him something"  
"If you really want to give him something, just say thanks and leave it at that. And whatever you do, don't got giving him anything alcoholic"  
Petra giggled, covering her mouth with her hand  
"You could have been handled that situation better"  
"He told you?"  
"No, you scared the hell out of the soldier he was with. The poor guy was running down the hall with his pants around his ankles"  
Levi wished he'd seen that, instead he been too focused on the fact that someone other than him had been touching Eren, then forcing the kid to spend the night sleeping in his bed, attempting to erase the shitty smell of the unknown man's arousal  
"He had it coming"  
"Eren's body might be different, but you could have left them alone"  
"And what if he bit his lip and shifted, or what if he'd had a panic attack and shifted?"  
"I'm pretty sure if being interrupted by you didn't upset him, nothing would"  
"The kid was wasted. He pretty much passed out as soon as his pants and boots were off"  
He sounded way too bitter for it to be passed off as simple annoyance  
"Do you think they'll become something more?"  
"It was just a drunk hook up"  
"With his friend"  
"Wait? He knew the guy?"  
That... that... Levi didn't have a word for exactly how he was feeling over this. Drunk and random hookups were pretty common, but hooking up with someone you knew and someone you were friends with. It was more than petty jealousy that was causing his heart to race, his chest to tighten and his reins to snap in his hands. It was something vile and evil.  
"I don't know the boy's name, I've seen him with Armin and Mikasa before, so perhaps they'd know. Do you think they're together? Maybe he'd like to spend Eren's heat with him?"  
"It was just a fucking hook up. There's nothing there and no one will be spending Eren's heat with him. If you have that much free time on your hands to dribble this shit, fall back and check on Eld and Gunther"  
Fuck. Fucking Eren. This was what the shitty brat did to him. He ruined his carefully constructed facade and reputation in a manner of minutes. Stroking the base embers of his desires into an inferno... without even being into the same space as him. Rather than looking hurt, Petra just shook her head with another giggle, shooting him a knowing look before dropping back to the supply cart. Fuck. By now, the only person Levi was kidding... was himself.

 

*  
Leaving the purchases that were to be taken to the house in the cart, Levi forced himself to help put everything away, as an excuse to settle his nerves before seeing Eren. Given the castle was still standing, and no one looked particularly worried, Eren couldn't have shifted into his Lycan form. At least something had gone right.

Skipping his debriefing with Erwin, Levi headed down to Hanji's office. The walls were all still standing, which he again took as positive sign. With a light knock on her door, he let himself into her office, finding it devoid of Government Scientists and Hanji in the middle of scribbling something down as if her life depended on it  
"Really Shitty Glasses. I come back and you can't even manage a hello?"  
Looking up, Hanji blinked at him as if only just coming back to reality  
"Levi!"  
Pushing herself back from her desk, Hanji rushed around it before throwing her arms around him  
"Uh... Hanji?"  
"I didn't think you were coming back until Sunday"  
"It is Sunday"  
"Oh... Oh Shit!"  
Flying back from the hold, Hanji grabbed her notebook. Wrapping her hand around his wrist, Levi found himself being dragged from the room  
"I've got to check on Eren"  
"I thought he'd be here"  
"He's back down in the dungeon"  
"What? Why?"  
"It's a long story. Basically he reacted badly to whatever they gave him and he bit one the scientists. They wanted to chain him up, but I managed to get them to agree to confine him in the dungeon again"  
"He bit one of them?"  
"He was only in his wolf form, so it wasn't even that bad"  
"I'm pretty sure being bitten by a wolf isn't something that can be written off as "not bad""  
"It was a tiny little bite on the man's wrist. His teeth didn't even break the skin"  
"And they wanted him chained up for that?"  
"Yeah. I shouldn't be surprised, he's been sick since the first day they got him"  
"What did they do?"  
"Injected him with something that's supposed to stop his heat. When it didn't give the results they wanted, they pumped up the dose. His body couldn't keep up with it, and he started bleeding internally. Whatever they gave him messed with his healing"  
"Is that even possible?"  
"Yep. The worst bit is, his body burnt through whatever it was too fast for me to get a sample of it. His blood work came back completely clean"  
"If he's clean, why isn't he healing?"  
"I don't know"  
"What does Erwin have to say about it all?"  
"Just to keep him notified. You haven't seen him yet?"  
"No. Not yet"  
"Aww you came to see Eren first..."  
Smacking Hanji, the woman pouted  
"That's not nice"  
"You brought it on yourself"  
"Nope. Totally didn't. I think Erwin's been down to see him, but he's pretty groggy"  
Just what the fuck had they done to him this time?! And what kind of business could Erwin possibly have with Eren.

Even before Hanji opened the door down to the dungeons, Levi could smell Eren's blood. It's coppery tang was muddied with something less than desirable, yet he couldn't name the offending scent. With a look of disgust on his face, he followed Hanji down  
"You can smell it too, can't you? His scent's all wrong. He usually smells more dog like, but now it's..."  
"Disgusting"  
"That's a little harsh. I was thinking medical?"  
"Chemical"  
"Chemical. He smells chemical to you?"  
"I can still smell blood, but there's something in it..."  
"I need to write this down, oh. His senses are also a little off, so you'll have to speak softly"  
"You make it sound like all I do is yell at him"  
"Our normal tones sound like we are yelling at him, so you would be"  
Levi sighed. Couldn't they just have one good week? Falling silent for the rest of the walk, Hanji moved ahead of him to open Eren's cell  
"Eren, its Hanji and Levi. I've come to check on you"  
"I'm ok"  
"We both know that's not going to work. How's the bleeding?"

Eren was curled on his side with his face hanging off the side of the bed, above bucket. At first the thought the kid had been vomiting, until Hanji moved the lantern closer and he saw the kid's gums were bleeding  
"I think it's getting better"  
"Good, that's good. I'm just going to have a little look"  
While Eren was busy with Hanji, Levi sank down onto the end of the kids bed. Despite his lanky form, Eren had somehow curled up so he was barely taking up a third of the bed  
"Have you eaten anything?"  
"Teeth hurt"  
"Ok. What about drinking water?"  
"I tried"  
"Now Levi's back, I'm going to see about getting you a bed in the infirmary, where I can actually monitor your condition"  
"I'm ok... they said it might be like this"  
Hanji hadn't told him that? Did Eren tell her?  
"I know, but you're not in a good way"  
"You sound like Armin"  
"Did they come to see you?"  
"Yeah... Mikasa wanted to yell at Erwin"  
"Oooh. I wish I'd known that"  
"Armin talked her out of it. I'm sorry"  
"It's ok. Maybe next time?"  
"Don't go encouraging her. Um... if Levi's back, can I shower now? I feel so gross"  
"That's up to Levi"  
Hanji silently pleaded with him to agree. Eren had probably tried to hide whatever else was done to him from her, so as not to worry the woman. The kid needed a chaperone, and she was asking him to be it  
"A bath might be better"  
"I don't want to make a mess"  
"You won't make a mess. Do you think Levi would let you?"  
"No..."  
"See. Levi's going to help you up, is that ok?"  
"I'm too dirty"  
"That's the point of taking a bath, right Levi?"  
"Yeah. This room is fucking filthy"  
Eren started to laugh, before dissolving into a fit of coughing  
"Let's get you up. A hot bath will also help ease some of that congestion"  
"Hanji, dad was a doctor. I know that"  
"Oooh. Someone's getting snappy. You're lucky you're so cute"  
"You're literally the only one who thinks I'm cute"  
"Levi thinks you're cute"  
"Don't bring me into this"  
Eren's coughing slowly subsided enough for Levi to get close enough to lift the kid into his arms. The brat looked like shit, yet somehow managed to shoot him a smile  
"Sorry, sir. Hanji won't let me walk"  
"Can you?"  
"I don't know"  
"Maybe save the walking until after you've stopped coughing up blood"  
"Fight me"  
"I could take you with my eyes closed"  
"You're not supposed to threaten a sick person"  
"It wasn't a threat, it was a promise"  
Eren was doing so much better than Levi had expected. He was able to hold and follow the banter, that Hanji took over as Levi carried him up to his private bathroom. Sitting the brat in the bath, he tugged Eren's blankets away, throwing them at Hanji with a very pointed glare  
"Right. Eren, I'll just be outside if you need me. Levi's going to help you bath"  
"You're lucky I'm too sick of feeling gross to say now"  
"How long's it been since he bathed?"  
"A week"  
"Ok. We at burning those blankets and his clothes"  
"Levi"  
"That's fucking disgusting!"  
Eren whimper at his shout, his hands clutching his head  
"Don't go scaring him"  
"Then take better care of him"  
"Hey, they only left on Friday"  
"That's two days"  
"Either you both shut up, or you both get out"  
Hanji failed at turning her laughter into a cough  
"Didn't you hear him, get out"  
"Alright, but try to behave yourselves"

Helping Eren out his ruined clothes, the teen didn't even seem to care when he was finally naked. Blood and slick covered the kids thin pubes and thighs, more over his arse and more still dribbling from his mouth. There weren't any signs of external wounds, though around his tone nails were black, but that might have just been filth  
"Hanji's so fucking weird"  
"What makes you say that?"  
"She's seen me naked, but she makes you take care of me"  
"If you shift, it's my job to bring you down"  
"Oh... I don't think I can shift. I'm so tired"  
Closing his eyes, Eren rested his head on the side of the bath. Still sporting some puppy fat in his face from youth, Eren's stomach was surprisingly toned, yet his skin was so soft and warm beneath Levi's fingers. He'd by lying if he didn't feel something... an insistent throbbing in his groin was definitely something, but even he wasn't going to act when the kids defences were non-existent. Leaving Eren's crotch for the boy to clean himself, Levi scrubbed the rest of him down, making sure not to press too firmly as it seemed to pain the brat   
"Eren, can you sit up? I need to clean your hair"  
With a sleepy hum, Eren slumped towards the wall. Not exactly helping him  
"Brat"  
"Sorry, sir"  
"Just try not to pass out and drown in this shitty water"  
"Feels good being clean"  
"You're not clean yet"  
"Cleaner"  
"Stop moving"  
"I'm not"  
"Yes you are"  
"I don't feel like I am..."  
Levi was tempted to call Hanji in, as Eren couldn't stop swaying, but when he poured the jug of warm water over Eren's head, the kid shot up, sitting ramrod straight as he spluttered  
"What the hell?"  
"Your hair's filthy"  
"You tried to drown me"  
"If I was trying, I would have succeeded"  
"Mmm. Yeah. You're probably right"

Washing Eren's hair it, his hair was just as soft as his wolf's fur. The brat having the nerve to let out rumbling huffs that slowly turned to snores  
"Hanji, get in here"  
"You won't want to keep him to yourself"  
"Don't say it like that. I'm not touching him down there, and he fell asleep before he could clean himself"  
"Awww are you scared?"  
"I'm going to get his room ready"  
"No need! Your bed is right there"  
"He's sleeping in his own room"  
"But Levi"  
"Don't "but" me. You can watch over him there"  
"I think he'd rather have you"  
"I don't want his filthy blood all over my bed"

"What's going on here?"  
Whipping from looking at Eren to look to Erwin, both of them hushed him at the same time. Erwin's lips twitched as the man rose an eyebrow  
"Eren hasn't had a bath in a week, so I had Levi help me out"  
"And you couldn't have done this somewhere else?"  
"It's the closest bathroom to his room"  
"He's supposed to be in the dungeon"  
"Erwin, he's bleeding nonstop. He's only going to get sick down there.  
"I'm your commanding officer. You need to clear these things with me. And you Levi, you didn't even report back to me"  
"I went to inform Hanji that we were back with her supplies"  
The lie smoothly slid from his tongue as he held his anger back  
"Then I asked him to help me with Eren. Once he was settled, we were going to let you know"  
Thanks to Isabel's words, all he could think was that Erwin was being petty and jealous. He knew he wasn't completely unfortunate in the looks department, and that a normal person wouldn't insist on feeding him without getting something out of it, but now... If Erwin was letting his jealousy cause Eren pain, that wasn't something he was ok with   
"Hanji, can you finish up with Eren on your own? I need to talk to Erwin"  
"Alright, but I'll need your help to get him out"  
"Just make sure he's clean"

Nudging Erwin out the bathroom, Levi pulled the door closed behind him  
"What's going on with you?"  
"With me?"  
"Cut the shit Erwin. If you've got something to say, say it without you usual games"  
"Fine. I think you're letting Eren cloud your judgment. You've stopped seeing him a threat"  
"You're the one letting Eren cloud your judgement. The kid was left in his own filth for the last week. You saw how badly they fucked him up before, but you were happy to lock him up again"  
"I locked him up for his own safety"  
Levi scoffed, his glare fierce  
"Like you sent me away on a completely bogus mission"  
"You're too close to him"  
"How? You assigned me to be his partner"  
"I didn't assign him to you so you could play happy families with him"  
"Are you serious? Wow. I thought she was full of shit, but wow. You really do have feelings for me, don't you"  
"And you don't?"  
"Not the way you want me to"  
"Bullshit Levi. I..."  
"You what? You allowed me to feed and I'm grateful for that. But love and feeding, they're too completely different things"  
"How can you say that? We all know what you're like, but you feed predominantly from me. Of course I'm going to think..."  
"Do you think I like feeding? Do you think I like never being sated?"  
"You..."  
"I never take more than the bare minimum. If I drank like I wanted, you'd be dead. I know you don't want to hear it, but for me, it was never more than a way for you to remind me how indebted I am to you. I considered you my friend. I was grateful you kept my secret, but the way you're treating Eren, it's not ok"  
"He's a kid!"  
"Don't you think I know that? There's something in Eren, but he's not the monster you think he is. If he was, he never would have saved everyone"  
"He's a danger"  
"He's not a danger"  
"If he wasn't, I wouldn't have to lock him up!"  
Levi ground his teeth together, biting down the urge to snap  
"What is that supposed to mean?"  
"It means people heard Eren bit a scientist. Whatever goodwill he'd managed to earn, is gone"  
"He didn't even break the skin"  
"How do you know?"  
"Hanji"  
"Of course"  
The bitterness in Erwin's tone hurt to hear  
"Look. I was going to ask permission to take Eren and Hanji down to the house you want to use for his heat. I think we could both use some time apart"  
Hanji was going to give him hell, but Erwin might have just lost his head again if Levi hadn't thrown her name in  
"Fine. Leave whenever you're ready"  
"Once Eren stops bleeding. Hanji says his in a kind of sensory overload"  
"Make sure she submits a full report on him"  
"I will. You'll have my report on your desk by tomorrow morning"  
"Ok..."  
"Erwin. I am sorry"  
"Don't. I want to hear it, right now"

Well that was a cluster fuck of fuckery. He hadn't been expecting to walk into all the calm chaos when he'd ridden through the front gates of the castle, and now it felt like he'd betrayed Erwin. He knew very well what he was like, and Erwin's blood was better than Hanji's, but he hadn't put two and two together. Fucking Isabel. When did she get so damn smart?! And why did have the feeling that despite Erwin's words, the man blamed Eren completely for coming between them. Running his fingers through his hair, he grimaced once he remembered that he'd just been bathing Eren and his hand was far from clean. Sighing, he let himself back into the bathroom. Hanji was rubbing Eren's shoulder, the kid now sitting in a drained bath   
"How did it go?"  
"I don't want to talk about it. Is he clean?"  
"As clean as he's going to get"  
"Good, I'll get him out"  
"Just be gentle"  
"I was thinking of dropping him"  
"Don't you dare. He's crying in his sleep as it is"  
Snatching a towel from the bathroom counter, Levi dropped it around Eren's shoulders before lifting him up. The kid was indeed crying, while blood was still running from his mouth  
"Can't we do anything about his gums?"  
"No. We'll have to wait for it heal on its own"  
"Once it does, we'll be taking Eren down to that house. Erwin's granted his permission"  
"Oh. I wonder if we should bring his friends"  
"We aren't going on vacation. We're cleaning and stocking the house. It won't be used just for Eren's heat, but by anyone in the Scouting Corps. If we kept it stocked with supplies for medical trauma, we might be able to prevent more death"  
"Oooh. Right. That's a great idea. I'll have Moblit help me with that"  
"I've left everything for the house in the cart, so we'll have time to load it without rushing"  
Whimpering, Eren buried his face against Levi's chest. Great. There went that shirt  
"I'll bring him up a painkiller. I don't want to sedate him without knowing what they gave him"  
"We'll be in his room"

Lowering Eren to his bed, the kid rolled from his hold and sprawled across it, leaving nothing to imagination. There was no way Eren wasn't doing this on purpose and holy fuck the kid had a nice arse. Quickly scolding himself, Levi crossed to Eren's dresser, pulling out the first pair of pants he found. The kid could live with no shirt on, but with his slicking and exposed arse, he was just inviting trouble. Returning to the boys side, it took a fair bit of "light" man handling to get Eren into his pants. The kid's arse was bleeding, which meant finding another towel to stick down there... at least his nails no longer looked black and rotten. With a folded towel under his face to catch the bloodied drool and Eren tilted so he wouldn't drown on his own spit and undo all his hard work, Levi finally pulled the boy's blankets over him. He was definitely mellowing in his old age. Reaching out to ruffle Eren's hair, Levi caught himself in time, his hand dropping back to his side. The kid was too young for a serious relationship, especially with his cranky arse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yah know. Chapter 20 was supposed to the chapter I finally pushed them over the edge... instead I kicked Erwin in the balls


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. So, it was brought to my attention that some words are mangled and some are missing. Basically, the upper half my phone screen is lifting, so sometimes the cursor jumps around while I'm typing. I can't use the desktop to edit anything. So I'm sorry for the words I do miss.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I'm sorry to Eren for the end of this chapter, but it's important for the next...

Hanji was still making him take it easy, so what she didn't know didn't hurt him. Currently scrubbing away at the filthy clinging to the peeling kitchen walls, Eren was enjoying the sensation of not being curled up in his bed, feeling like he was bleeding to death. Compared to the last time the Government had gotten their hands on him, he was quite lucky. They'd chained him down, but instead of slicing him open like a side of beef, they seemed more intent on testing new drugs and injections. Some his body burnt through before he felt any effect. Some left him feeling sick to his stomach and some left him hallucinating. Then, just as suddenly as they'd arrived, they'd left. Possibly because he'd bit one, but it was more like a warning nip, barely a bite. Somehow the whole Castle seemed to know what he'd done. Mikasa had scolded him over, while Armin warned him to keep his head down and not to go out alone. It wasn't like he could go out anyway. Hanji had ordered strict bedrest until the bleeding stopped, while Levi insisted on making him take two showers a day. He didn't like the constant attention from the pair of them, so the house felt like a treat after two weeks of whatever that was. Scratching at the lifting wallpaper, he let out a small cheer as it came away. The wood beneath was so much nicer, a warm timber that was nothing like what they'd had back in Shinganshima, yet still pulled at his heart as the memories flashed to the front of his mind. His mum's cooking. The way she sang as she baked, and the way she always hugged him after she scolded him. His dad working hard, spending hours in the basement where he and Mikasa were banned from entering. Probably because they were too young to understand not to poke around. The way the his bed was way too small, but his mother would climb in next to him to read him stories, while Mikasa teased him. Fighting back his tears, he clawed at the wallpaper, trying pull down as much as he could  
"Eren?"  
Sprung in the act, Eren looked to Hanji  
"Are you ok?"  
"What? Of course I am. I'm not about to be defeated by wallpaper"  
"You're supposed to be resting"  
"I was. But how much damage can I do by peeling wallpaper?"  
"This is you..."  
"I'm fine and I'm sooooo sick of resting. I was scrubbing the walls and it finally began to lift"  
"Mhmm. Any bleeding?"  
Hooking his fingers in the creases at between his lips on the side of his mouth, he bared his teeth for Hanji to see, before gagging at the taste of wallpaper glue and soap. Hanji rolling her eyes as released his mouth and glared at them in annoyance   
"You probably shouldn't go putting your fingers in your mouth"  
"You say that now. How did you get away from Levi?"  
"I jumped out the window. You're lucky you're not up there. Eld's about to declare mutiny"  
"We both know he'd never do that"  
"He should... we've been cleaning all morning"  
"You can help in the kitchen?"  
"You want me to cook?"  
"I would rather you cleaned. The oven still has ash in the tray in the bottom"  
"Ereeeen. I'm not made for cleaning"  
"What are you made for then? Distracting him?"

Hanji jumped, throwing her hands up in surrender as Levi huffed  
"I wasn't distracting him!"  
"Was she distracting you?"  
"No. She was volunteering to clean the oven out"  
"I would rather die than let her clean the oven. You do the oven, while Hanji does the walls. Are you ok brat? I can't tell if you're about to shit yourself or burst into tears"  
"I'm fine, sir. I'll start on the oven"  
"Alright. Let Hanji know if you feel sick"  
"Yes, sir"  
Leaving as quietly as he'd appeared, Eren stared at the now vacant doorway. He couldn't work Levi out, no matter how many times he tried. He'd found the man staring at him. He'd found Levi actually making jokes when it was just the two of them. He'd make sure he ate and asked if was ok. It wasn't like Levi was a stone cold arsehole and he'd always kind of been there, but something has shifted between them. He didn't know what to call it. Levi valued his cleanliness and hated people being in his room, yet, he insisted Eren use his shower. He didn't even yell at him when Eren accidentally got blood on the shower wall. He just washed it down like it was nothing. Maybe Levi was going through some kind of midlife crisis? Or maybe his scent was still off... Mikasa and Armin had told him it smelt like he was sick, which he was at the time. He couldn't really smell himself since the injections, and thinking too hard actually hurt. They'd done something to his head, though he couldn't remember what  
"Eren, I was trying to get out of woooooork"  
"I know, if you're that bored, you can just keep me company. I'll need fresh water and wood for the oven"  
"I'll do it. It's too much for you"  
"Hanji, you can't be serious. I'm fiiiiine"  
"I'm not going to accept that until your scent goes back to normal, and you have another heat"  
"I don't want another heat. I'm happy if I never go into heat again"  
"But you'd make such cute babies"  
"Do I want to know what the father's going to be? And you removed my womb..."  
"Ah, but I bet you could father a baby. We should have a baby!"  
A cleaning rag flew across the room, smacking Hanji in face  
"You two can't be trusted together. Hanji, go take over the medical room with Gunther. Brat, go change that shitty water"  
"Yes, sir"  
"I've told you think before, but when we're like this, it's Levi"  
Eren's heart did the weird fluttering thing only Levi's voice brought, as the back of his neck grew warm. Levi felt too personal... and brought back the memories of moaning his partners name more than once.. way more than once  
"I think I prefer "sir", sir"  
"Suit yourself. Stop standing there and get moving"  
"But Leeeevi. I can't take this"  
"Then get out"  
"Can I take Eren?"  
"Will it shut you up?"  
"You won't hear a word from me until dinner"  
No... he was enjoying working... he shot Levi a pleading look, hoping the man wouldn't send him out  
"Eren, help her gather wood"  
"What? But..."  
"Do you have a problem, brat?"  
"This is third different order you've given in the last half an hour..."  
"Overexposure to Hanji will to that to you"

Evicted outside, Eren wasn't impressed. Hanji was already talking about something or other she found exciting, while Eren just wanted to go back to peeling off the wallpaper. Leaving her to rambling, the teen went about gathering up every broken stick and branch in the immediate vicinity of the house, wondering just what kind of people chose to live out here where it was so isolated, and what had happened to them. They looked to be pretty self sufficient. There were three long and over grown vegetable patches, a well, and an endless supply of wood at their front door. They'd probably hunted rabbits for food, and other small forest creatures that wandered their way. Sniffing the wind, he looked to the forest longingly. He wanted to shift. He wanted to run. He wanted to hunt down half a dozen rabbits and bring them back for his team, and he wanted Levi to praise him when he did. He liked Levi way more than he should, especially given their partnership hadn't really amounted to much. He'd spent more time in the castle than out in the field with the man. When Erwin had been so quick to give them their first mission, he'd thought that was just how things were done. He knew his first two missions hadn't been great, but he'd helped Isabel find peace. Surely that had to count for something?!

"What'cha thinking?"  
"I want to go for a run"  
"Sorry Eren, not just yet"  
"You don't even sound sorry"  
Hanji sighed, he already knew what was going to come next. The sticks at their feet suddenly much more interesting than they had been  
"You've only been back on your feet for a week. You need to take it slow and you need to trust my judgement"  
"I do trust it. It's just... I'm fine. You telling me I can't do things... it's frustrating. I feel fine. I want to contribute, and I was until you got us kicked out"  
"You like cleaning?!"  
"I like being busy. It's frustrating enough that we don't go on missions, or I'm sick, or it's my stupid heat. I want to hurry up and learn more, and I can't do that when I'm in the castle all the time"  
"Things have been shaky, but it's not all been that bad. You've been working really hard in your classes"  
"Classes I didn't even know I needed. Erwin sent me straight out and into the field, and I fucked that up. No one knows how to handle me or how to treat me"  
"Because we've never met anyone quite like you"  
"I know. I'm just... I'm not as smart as everyone else. I'm not naturally gifted and if it wasn't for this stupid power, I'd be dead. Levi has to keep saving me and it's exhausting"  
"Have you talked to him about what they did to you this time?"  
"No. It's not like they did a whole lot. Injected me with stuff. Made me drink stuff and take pills. I feel fine now. My healing powers are working just fine too"  
"You've had to heal?"  
"No. At least not outside your finger prick tests, and we both saw I healed like normal"  
"It worries me that your gums were bleeding"  
"Medicine has side effects. I've seen it before"  
"Would you really rather be cleaning?"  
"Yes"  
"Alright. Go back to the kitchen and see if Levi has something for you to do. We aren't going to gather more firewood unless we go further in"  
"Really?"  
"I don't like seeing you hurting and I don't like saying no. I really do care about you"  
"I know you do"  
Giving Hanji a firm hug, Eren headed back inside the house.

 

*  
After three full days of cleaning, the house was finally up to Levi's standards. The mattresses had been taken out and left in the sun to dry, the house then aired completely before every single surface was scrubbed clean, leaving a fresh citrus scent throughout the building. For added protection the bottom windows had been boarded, left to allow the smallest streams of light through, without risking safety. The doors on the top floor now had brackets for thick wooden planks, so they could be barred from the inside. Finally, around the house had been cleared of all the debris, anything useful moved to the house's root cellar and the rubbish burnt. Between the 6 of them, they'd managed to get it done, and now Eren had a safe and clean place to have his heat... and they'd established an emergency supply station, but that was a distant thought in Levi's mind. He felt proud that Eren could have his heat here, and the boy seemed so happy about it all. His smile should be banned. It was like the whole shitty world lit up each time he did. And Levi didn't like the way it left him feeling.

On Hanji's insistence, they didn't return to the castle immediately. He hadn't been keen on bringing Eld, Gunther and Petra along, but with Eren once again being labelled a monster, the castle was in a state of wary silence. The kind of silence where just a look could start a fight. He didn't believed anyone was foolish enough to try and throw down with his team, yet Olou's death was still too raw. He wasn't about to lose another squad member, especially to the hands of some shitty human. So it was better they let everyone gather their thoughts and calm down.

With everyone else sleeping, Levi was curled up on the end of the sofa in the living area, the fire in hearth across him was on its dying legs, and the light was barely enough to read by. He probably should have attempted to sleep, but he could hear someone above him pacing back and forth, the floor boards creaking under the weight. He wanted to ignore the noise, but he also wanted to make sure whoever it was, wasn't about to sneak out in the middle of the night... which we wouldn't be surprised if Hanji or Eren did. Hanji's odd hours had lead to a weirder sleep pattern than his own, and Eren had too much energy for his own good. The kid had already peeled every last scrap of wallpaper from the kitchen walls, Hanji having given up telling him he needed to rest. If the kid said he was fine, he probably was. Closing his book, Levi was about to push himself up, when the door above creaked, whoever it was now walking towards the stairs. Watching, Eren slowly emerged, the kid chewing on his lips as he rubbed his arms  
"Oi, brat. What are you doing?"  
Tripping over his own feet, Eren face planted on the floor. Levi couldn't help but laugh under his breath. The kid hadn't even considered the fact he wasn't sleeping   
"S-sir?"  
"Don't give me that. What are you doing?"  
Picking himself up, Eren walked over and dropped down on the opposite end of the couch  
"Brat?"  
"Sorry. I couldn't sleep sir"  
"I heard. Something on your mind?"  
"It's nothing, sir"  
"Eren, you don't have to keep calling me sir"  
"Sorry"  
Resisting the urge to throw his book at the kid, Levi settled back against the cough  
"Now. Why couldn't you sleep?"  
"I'm just not tired. I tried working out, but I'm still not tired"  
The kid looked plenty tired. Deep bags hung under his eyes, while Eren was fighting to keep them open  
"Try again"  
"It's nothing"  
"It's not nothing"  
"Fine. It's stupid"  
"No, what's stupid is that you're not just spitting it out. What's the matter? Blocked up?"  
"The house just reminds me of home..."  
"You're old home?"  
"It was destroyed by wolves"  
He already knew that. Everyone knew that  
"And this place reminds you of it?"  
"Yeah. It's really pathetic, but I keep dreaming about my mum"  
"What was she like?"  
"Scary. I was always getting into trouble with Mikasa and Armin, and mum would always yell, but then she'd always make sure to hug me and tell me she loved me, just in case something happened. The day she died, we had a huge fight. I wanted to go outside the walls and she just wanted me safe... sorry. This is really pathetic"  
"You're a brat. It's not a big deal to miss your mum"  
"She'd be so disappointed"  
"In what?"  
"In me"  
"What makes you say that?"  
"I'm some kind of monster... she was a great mum, but I'm just..."  
"You're a Lycan"  
"Yeah. That"  
"So?"  
"I just want to be normal"  
"Being normal is overrated"  
"Being normal means people don't want you dead"  
"Is that why you can't sleep?"  
"I keep seeing Olou blame me for what happened to him"  
"Olou wouldn't blame you for that, and if you think he would, you never really knew him"  
"He didn't deserve what happened"  
"No. He didn't. And now all we can do is kill the filth that killed him"  
"And what happens when we wipe them all out? They're going to kill me. I know I'm on borrowed time, but I want to see the world... I promised Mikasa and Armin that we would"  
So the kid was scared of his own mortality. They lived in a world where any day could be there last, but Eren was looking past that, looking to a dream Levi honestly didn't think could ever be reality. He'd seen plenty of people declare they were going to see the world, only for them to end up fodder for the werewolves on their doorstep. It was hard to know what to say, the kid was discouraged enough as it was  
"All we can do is fight"  
"I know. It's stupid. I'm being stupid"  
"I thought your lack of sleep might be from the last round of experiments"  
"They weren't as bad as the first time"  
"Do you want to talk about it?"  
"There's not much to talk about. They were trying different drugs, that's all"  
"They didn't torture you?"  
"No. Not that I remember. I think they did something to my head, but I can't remember what"  
"And no more bleeding?"  
The blush on Eren's face was barely visible in the low light   
"Uh. No... um, thank you for helping me bath. I can't remember if I thanked you... or if I thanked you for letting me use your bathroom"  
"You didn't make that much of a mess"  
"Still. You shouldn't have been in the position where you had to take care of me. That's to say, um, I know Hanji probably bullied you into, but thanks anyway"  
"It's fine"  
"I think I might head back up to bed. Sir, are you really fine with sleeping down here on the sofa?"  
"I'm not so old that sleeping on the sofa's going to do any damage"  
"I wouldn't call you old, sir. But if you're calling yourself old"  
Kicking out and hitting Eren in the leg, the boy pouted at him  
"Hanji would have laughed"  
"Do I look like Hanji"  
"No, you definitely don't. You should try and get some sleep too, sir. Hanji was talking about heading back to the castle soon"  
Shitty brat. He was decade too young to be telling him to go to bed  
"Hanji probably wants to get back to her experiments. Don't worry, we'll be here for a few more days"  
"Then maybe... do you want to go for a run in the morning?"  
"Alright brat. Now get to bed"

Falling asleep still in the same corner of the couch, Levi woke to find himself covered with two thick blankets and a fresh cup of tea waiting for him. Sitting quietly in the same spot he'd occupied last night, Eren was reading the book he'd abandoned   
"So you can read?"  
Snapping the book closed, Eren looked to him in guilt  
"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to wake you"  
"You didn't wake me. How long have you been awake?"  
"Not too long. The tea is fresh. I only just sat down"  
"The others?"  
"Sleeping. Hanji's snoring picked up around sunrise. Petra looked ready to smother her. They probably won't be up for another hour or so"  
Levi nodded, pushing the blankets back. Eren immediately putting the book down and moving to start folding the blankets  
"Damn brat. You can't wait, can you?"  
"Just trying to be useful..."  
"Go wait outside, I'll be out shortly"  
"I'll do the blankets first"  
"Brat, it's fine. Go wait outside"  
"Sorry, sir"  
There was no way he was letting Eren see he was rock hard like some shitty teenager... the kid was too just too much.

 

*  
Eren had the sneaking suspicion that the reason they hadn't headed back to the castle yet was because of him. Petra, Eld and Gunther had all run out of things to do other than hand to hand training, while Hanji was constantly attempting to convince Levi to either run shifting experiments or take them back to the castle, each time she did, Levi would threaten her with cleaning, and Hanji would drop it for an hour or two. It was almost like Levi was waiting for something, and embarrassingly, he didn't realise the man had been waiting to see if he'd go into heat, seeing it was past due. After two weeks, Levi finally decided it was time to return home... and honestly, Eren was excited. It'd been nice being away from everyone, but now he wanted to see Mikasa and Armin again.

Eren's excitement lasted all of two seconds once they finally did get home. He'd been sent off to his room while everyone else reported to Erwin. Initially nothing looked out of place, until he started unpacking and found almost all his clothes and possessions had been ruined. Even his bed hadn't been spared. Pulling back the covers, blood had been spilt across his sheets and what looked to be bits of rabbit fur mixed into it. He was so fucking done with all this childish shit. Ripping the sheets off his bed, he bundled all the shredded clothes and smashed trinkets, before marching from his room. If he went to Levi, it'd seem like he was running to his boss. Erwin would blow it into something huge. Petra, Eld and Gunther had better things to with their time. So he marched down to Hanji's office. Hanji would be able to help him replace his uniform and whatever else she could, and he was confident she wouldn't tell Levi or Erwin he was being bullied because she knew just how much being "normal" and not causing a fuss meant to him.

Moblit was the only on in Hanji's office when Eren walked in, the man taking one look at the "sack" he was holding and groaning   
"Don't tell me she's got you moving in down here?"  
"No. I just need to have a talk with her"  
"She's still up with Erwin. Is there something I can help you with?"  
"No, but thanks for asking. Did you have a good break?"  
"Break?"  
"A break from Hanji"  
Moblit let out a small laugh   
"Even without her here, she still had me working"  
"If it makes you feel better, she spent the whole time slacking off"  
"How would that make me feel better! Now I wish I had taken a break"  
"You totally should have"  
Moblit groaned, dropping into Hanji's chair as he clutched his hair  
"Honestly. I don't think I remember what a break is"  
"You definitely need a break"  
"I can't remember the last time I actually slept"  
"Then go sleep. I'll let Hanji know"  
"She'll kill me if I'm not here when she comes back"  
"I'm sure she'd appreciate you full recharged rather than dead on your feet"  
"You're probably right. Thanks, Eren"  
It was totally a dick move, and completely selfish, but he didn't want Moblit around while he talked to Hanji. Besides, the man kind of did look dead on his feet, though that was an after thought.

Hanji kept him waiting a good two hours before finally returning to her office, Eren's anger had subsided into a dull sort of acceptance. Stepping around the bundle, Hanji popped herself up onto her desk with a sigh   
"What happened?"  
"I missed you?"  
"I know that's not the case, but I'll take the compliment"  
"I need new uniforms"  
"Why?"  
"Because all mine are ruined. Well, not all of them, just most of them"  
"How were they ruined? And are they actually ruined? Or Levi's kind of dirty ruined?"  
"Ruined as in they're shredded"  
"Shredded?"  
Rising to his feet the teen dragged the bundle away from Hanji before lifting two edges and spilling the mess out in front of her  
"Holy Sina. What happened? Did you do this?"  
"It was a "welcome home" present. If I went to Levi, he'd made a big deal off it and Erwin would lecture everyone"  
"Maybe he should. Wow. Is that blood?"  
Lowering the sheets so he could look down at the mess, Eren nodded  
"Blood and rabbit fur"  
"We should tell Erwin"  
"Or, we can pretend it didn't happen"  
"But you could be in danger"  
"And if I go running to Erwin, I'm only going to be hated more. So if I act like nothing happened, I show them that they can't get to me like this"  
"Are you sure? I mean... is that tea in there?"  
"I wanted to try it... everything Petra gave me is ruined. Even the blankets I got myself are ruined..."  
"I'm so sorry"  
"It's not your fault"  
"I can write off the uniforms as damaged during shifting experiments, but I don't want you sleeping in your room until we can get you a key for the lock"  
"I don't even know if the lock works"  
"For now, you can sleep in my quarters, or in Levi's if you'd like"  
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want me sleeping in his room"  
"Really? I thought you guys talked?"  
"A little"  
Like every night for the last 4 nights staying at the house. If he couldn't sleep, Levi would make him help with the preparations for the following day's breakfasts, which he'd thought none of them knew about. It wasn't really talking, more like Levi scolding his cooking technique and correcting, or sometimes asking what it was like having a doctor for a father. Maybe they had gotten a little closer, but he couldn't just rock up and sleep in Levi's room again. He was trying not to have a crush on the man, and Levi was making it damn hard. Especially when the man looked sinful with his sleepy face, messy hair and tenting pants each morning, not that ever mentioned it  
"Well you're not sleeping alone"  
"What's the worst they can do?"  
"Stab you? Kill you while you sleep?"  
"Which I'll heal from"  
"You won't heal from dying"  
"I want to be normal"  
"I know you do. Have you seen your friends since you got back?"  
"Not yet. I was going to see them after I'd unpacked"  
"For now, I want you to stay with them as often as you can. Levi and I can't always be there, and if you can't be with them, try to be with Petra or Eld. Gunther's been assigned a new mission, so he won't be around"  
"What kind of mission?"  
"The kind of mission you don't need to worry about"  
"What about Levi?"  
"Levi doesn't have any upcoming missions at the moment"  
"Why not?"  
"Eren, you can't attach yourself to Gunther's mission. Even if Levi isn't busy"  
"I just want to get field experience"  
"And you will. For now, we'll go find your friends. Just leave all of that there"  
"Are you sure?"  
"I need your clothes for your measurements"  
"Oh... right..."  
Eren forced himself to drop it, knowing he kept pushing Hanji she'd snap at him and he'd snap back. Dropping the blankets, she hopped off her desk, pausing to pat him on the shoulder before moving towards the doorway, leaving him to sullenly follow.

Mikasa and Armin were out in the training court when they finally found them. Eren nearly verging on self implosion from the whispers and stares he'd received as he'd followed Hanji. Setting his face, he'd pretended not to notice, but having his two best friends drop everything and coming running over to him, just to throw their arms around him nearly had him in tears   
"Don't forget what I said, Eren"  
"I won't. Thanks, Hanji"  
With her job done, Hanji left them. Mikasa breaking the hug once she had  
"Where were you? Did you have a mission?"  
"Mikasa, you know we just went to do a little cleaning"  
"A little cleaning. You were gone for two weeks"  
"Obviously you've never had to clean to Levi's standards. Seriously. If there's even the tiniest bit of dirt, you've got to start all over again"  
Releasing Armin, his friend took his hand  
"We should go somewhere else"  
"Here's fine"  
"Eren, a lot's happened while you were gone"  
"I already know all about it"  
"How?"  
"It was kind of obvious"  
"Oh... then we should sit or something"  
"Or you two can keep training. I want to see how much better your hand to hands gotten"  
"He punched Jean in the face the other day"  
Eren snorted, talking over Armin's explanation   
"With that horse face of his, it's kind of hard to miss"  
"I don't see why the pair of you can't just get along"  
"He started it. Where is he? And where are Connie and Sasha?"  
"Sasha stole some meat from the kitchen, and you know what Connie's like, he'd follow her anywhere"  
"And where Connie goes, Jean goes"  
"They're all on kitchen duties for the next month"  
"Wow. A cooking horse. Don't let the Government know"  
Armin hushed him  
"Don't go talking about the government like that"  
"Why not?"  
"Because you bit the guy"  
"It wasn't even a real bite. I didn't even break the skin, and I was drugged out of my mind"  
"Still. Some people are really touchy over it"  
"I've noticed. You'd think they'd have something better to talk about"  
Mikasa sighed, crossing her arms in her typical "mum" pose  
"You need to be more careful. A lot of people weren't happy you were gone. Especially because you're in Levi's squad"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Armin cut in  
"It means that they think you got close to him so you could kill him"  
"Are you serious?"  
"People with stupid ideas are the most dangerous. They're the ones who seem to attract the most followers"  
"I can't be blamed for their stupidity"  
"Eren, this is serious"  
"What makes you think I'm not taking this seriously?"  
"You're standing out here for one thing"  
"Seriously Mikasa? You expect me to hide away indoors? I thought you were supposed to be my friend"  
"I am your friend"  
"Then why are you telling me not to be myself? The best way to stand up to everyone is to hold my head high and not run away. I'd expect this from Armin, not from you"  
"Hey!"  
"You know it's true"  
"I know we don't want you dead"  
"You know what, I'm not doing this. I missed you both, but if you're going to be like this..."  
"Eren, please..."  
"I'm tired of being treated like an outsider. Me hiding, isn't going to make anything better. In fact, it's just going to make it worse. Which you would know, if you actually cared about me"

Turning to storm away from his friends, he didn't get very far. Just his luck. Walking right over to him, Levi looked him up and down  
"I was looking for you"  
"Well here I am"  
The man's eyes narrowed slightly   
"What crawled up your arse and died?"  
"Nothing, sir"  
Spitting the words out bitterly, he knew he was a hair's width from breaking down into tears   
"In that case, we're practicing hand to hand"  
"What? Why?"  
"Because you look like you want to punch something, and I just had to deal with Erwin"  
"But you're friends with Erwin"  
"It doesn't mean I agree with everything he says"  
Walking up beside him, Mikasa placed her hand on his arm, her fingers ghosting over his wrist. The urge to rip his hand away almost made him snarl   
"Maybe you should just go back inside?"  
"Mikasa..."  
"Ackerman, I believe you have your own training to deal with"  
"Sir..."  
"Mikasa, seriously. Just go back to Armin"  
"Not while you're like this"  
"Would you just back the hell off!"  
When Mikasa didn't released her hold, Levi took another step forward  
"I suggest you return to training, unless you'd like to join your friends in the kitchen"  
"You're his squad leader, can't you see he's upset"  
"And right now, you're the direct cause of it. I'm not going to ask again, Ackerman"  
Pulling Mikasa away, Armin was beaver than he was. The sparks between Mikasa and Levi were all but visible  
"Fine. Just find us later"  
"Yeah... right"  
There was no way that was going to happen. Not after she'd pulled that shit in front of Levi, and not while his emotions were like this.

"Want to tell me what that was about?"  
"It was just Mikasa being Mikasa"  
"Then you're good to train?"  
"Yes, sir"  
"Excellent"  
Since when did Levi say "excellent"? Following the man a few more metres across the training yard, Levi turned to him  
"We'll start with light drills to begin with"  
"Yes, sir"

Even light drills with his partner were barely light. Everything the man did, he always seemed to give it his all. The strength residing in his small frame was kind of amazing, and now Eren had to wonder if it was because of his vampire side. Blocking and countering the man's jabs, somewhere along the line it grew more competitive between them, and soon a group had gathered to watch. It was clear to Eren that Levi was holding back even though they'd been going at it for the better part of an hour now, which pissed him off, his moves growing both more forceful and sloppy with anger. When Levi finally grabbed his wrist and threw him down, Eren snapped. Allowing himself to be pulled back up, before head butting Levi in the nose. A gasp came from crowd and Levi looked positively murderous as blood dripped from his nose. With his hand still in Levi's, it'd been an incredibly stupid move. Sweeping his feet out from under him, Levi nimbly sidestepped around him, kneeling on his back and forcing his arm up until he felt it snap. Howling, Eren tried to kick his way out of the hold. It wasn't the fact his wrist was now clearly broken that was the issue, it was the pressure on his wrist   
"Calm down, brat"  
"Get the fuck off me!"  
"What did you say?!"  
"Let me the fuck go!"  
Grabbing his head with his free hand, Levi slammed his face into the dirt  
"I said calm down"  
"Then fucking let my wrist go! Fuck!"  
Levi was off him in an instant. The tears finally started pouring from his face as everyone whispered around him  
"Eren"  
"Just fuck off..."  
"Let's get you to Hanji"  
"I'll take myself"  
"Brat..."  
"I didn't need your fucking pity"  
"All you, get out of here right now, or you're all running laps until you drop"  
There was a few seconds of stunned silence  
"Go!"  
Breaking off into groups, the crowd dispersed. Levi then squatting down in front of him  
"How bad is it?"  
"Broken"  
"Shit"  
"It's fine"  
"It's not fine. Can you walk?"  
"Can I shift?"  
"If you want"  
Shifting, Eren started hobbling towards the infirmary, not daring to look anywhere but at the ground.


	22. Chapter 22

Levi hadn't meant to break the kid's fucking wrist, he'd acted without thinking after Eren head butted him in the nose, which thankfully wasn't broken. With his paw in a splint, Eren was sleeping on the floor of Hanji's office, while he and Shitty Glasses were sipping their respective drinks. His usual tea, and a scotch for Hanji. Neither of them had broken the silence, both watching Eren, though he could tell from Hanji's look she was waiting on him, so she could have another go at him. Draining the last of his tea, he finally gave in  
"I didn't mean to break his wrist. The kid looked fucking miserable"  
"Probably because he is"  
"What's he got to be miserable about? He's just had two weeks holiday"  
"He didn't have a very good return"  
"You mean the fact everyone's still talking about him?"  
"He's being bullied"  
"How? And when? We've barely been back a few hours"  
"He came to me because he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but someone ruined his clothes while we were gone. The put rabbit blood and bits of fur in his bed"  
"His clothes?"  
"Cut into pieces. It could have been any sharp blade. They also broke the few small things he had. He wanted to ignore it, and not give them the satisfaction"  
"Why wasn't I told immediately?"  
"Because he asked me not to. This behaviour isn't acceptable"  
"No. But it explains why he was fighting with his friends"  
Hanji sighed deeply  
"I left him with them, hoping they'd cheer him up"  
"They definitely didn't do that. He looked ready to cry. I was hoping he'd calm down if he got to punch something"  
"Instead he got his arse kicked and his wrist broken"  
"I didn't mean too snap"  
"I know"  
"I didn't even think about it when I grabbed him by the wrist"  
"I know"  
"I'd just finished dealing with Erwin"  
"I know"  
"Is there anything you don't know?"  
"Nope... well, maybe. In any case, what do we do about this?"  
"I'll have a word with the other squad leaders. We could make the shitty bastards until the finally give up who did it"  
"Eren wouldn't like that"  
"No. I suppose not, but we can't have distrust and bullying in the ranks. We have enough enemies out there"  
"So what do we do?"  
"You're the one who understands people better than I do. What do you think?"  
"Well... part of me thinks you hurting him helped to humanise him in the eyes of the others"  
"He is fucking human"  
"I know that. You didn't let me continue"  
"Then get to the point"  
"I think we should talk to his friends. They've been here and they both have shared rooms. If anyone's going to know something, they will"  
"And if they don't?"  
"Then we have two more partners in crime. I also want to get a new lock for Eren's door. And I want you to stop breaking his wrists"  
"Twice really doesn't look good. He just... there's a part of me that he drives insane"  
"The part between your legs?"  
Given it wasn't his teacup, he threw it straight at Hanji's face. Dodging the throw, she cackled  
"You walked right into that one"  
"You could have been mature enough to ignore it"  
"Ok. Sorry. I'll try that one again. We both know you're attracted to him, and to his blood. Is it possible you wanted to make him bleed?"  
"I didn't want to make him bleed. I wanted to pin him down until he calmed down. When the little shit head butted me, I forgot not to use all of my strength. So, no. I didn't want his blood, I just didn't want him shifting in front of everyone, who already has a problem with him"  
"You let him shift into his wolf form"  
"Because he was crying. You can't see when he cries in his wolf form"  
Hanji hummed, before pushing her chair back   
"I'm going to find him friends, wait here"  
"Sure. It wasn't like I was planning on leaving anytime soon"

As it turned out, Mikasa and Armin were already waiting near Hanji's office for news on Eren. The pair trailing in behind her, before forgetting their places and rushing to his side. Levi swallowed down his feelings as Mikasa placed her hand on Eren's side   
"He's alright. He's already healing, or rather, healed. The only reason the splint is still on is because I didn't want to wake him up"  
"So he's ok?"  
"Why don't you two take a seat? As you know, we've been away, but we both know Eren has been bullied and we'd like to know what you know about it"  
Mikasa stayed by Eren's side, while Armin took the vacant seat next to him. Hanji took her own seat when it became clear Mikasa wasn't moving to sit  
"You can speak freely"  
"In that case, how could you do this to him?"  
"Levi regrets his actions. His intent was to stop Eren from shifting, that was why he restrained him"  
"You broke his wrist"  
"I am well aware of that"  
"Mikasa, maybe you should just stop? Eren was already upset, he'd be even more upset if he knew you were picking fights with the people trying to help him"  
The girl shot her friend a glare, before lowering her gaze to Eren. Armin continuing  
"It's been really bad"  
"How so?"  
"Since everyone found he bit that scientist, they've been saying really stupid and mean things"  
"Like what?"  
"Like how they're surprised you all came back, like they expected Eren to eat you. Blaming him for Olou and the others that died. Some of them were saying that they should just kill him. A lot of them are jealous he's under Captain Levi's care. That he's useless as soldier. That he's a monster and he deserves to be made an example of"  
Levi pinched the bridge of nose, his teeth were throbbing with the desire to rip the throats out of these "people". Knowing it was wiser that she steered the conversation, Hanji nodded  
"Anything else?"  
"A few have been to see Erwin about it... trying to say Eren did or said things he didn't. Given Eren's been away, half the things they were saying were impossible, and the other half... just isn't Eren"  
"What kind of things?"  
"Like Eren said he was going to eat them, or feed them to wolves. He'd never do that!"  
"Armin, it's ok. Levi and both know that and so does Erwin. The reason we were gone so long was in hopes all this would calm down"  
"Well it hasn't"  
"Do you know who's been saying this?"  
"No. It's kind of rumours spread around the castle"  
"Alright. Now, Eren has expressed a desire not to pursue this. All he wants to do is be a normal soldier, and feels saying anything about this could be misconstrued. How do you think we can make things better for him?"  
"Bullying is a pretty big thing. Eren's not the only one being bullied. We're all at an age where we should know better, but everyone is also afraid they're going to die so they say whatever they want. I don't know how to fix it. If Erwin speaks up, everyone is going to think Eren ran to him"  
"That's the same conclusion we had. For now, would you be opposed to sharing a room with him?"  
"Sure. I know he's not going to hurt anyone"  
"Excellent. Levi, do you have anything to add?"  
"No"  
Yes! If Eren needed someone with him at all times, he should be with him. The kid's room was just down the hall from his  
"Great. I'll talk to... to some one about having a bed moved into Eren's room"  
"Couldn't he move into the room I share?"  
"Who do you share with?"  
"Jean and Connie. We do have a spare bunk"  
"No. That won't work. If Eren goes into heat, it'll end up being too far away"  
Armin's face flushed bright red  
"S-sir?!"  
"Get your mind out of the gutter Arlert. The scent he releases during heat makes it hard for anyone to resist him, and he isn't in the right frame of mind to say no. That's why he was first housed in the dungeon. It was for both everyone else's safety, and to keep him safe from everyone else"  
"Oh. So that's why his room is so close to yours"  
"Exactly"  
"Oh"

What was with the "oh's"?!. And why did Hanji look like she was about to burst out laughing. Composing herself, she managed to look semi-serious  
"Levi, why don't you stay here while I go organise a bed for Armin?"  
"We don't need babysitters"  
"I didn't say you did. I know you don't like Levi, it's obvious to everyone involved, but this was a case of too much force being applied without thinking. Despite his outwards appearance, Levi does care about Eren, and Eren's health and safety. His partner is Eren, and they are assigned to work together. So for Eren's sake, I think you really need to give Levi a chance"  
Mikasa sucked her cheeks in, looking like she was about to throw Hanji's lecture back at her   
"Hanji's right, Mikasa. It stresses him out that you don't get along with Levi"  
"I'm sorry that I fall and swoon over the sight of the Great Levi, Eren hero. But so far, he hasn't given me any reason to place my faith in him, or for me to place the care of my brother into his hands"  
"That's because you didn't give him a chance. Eren has faith in him"  
"That's because he's been Eren's hero ever since he was kid"  
"Eren knows the days of looking up to someone have passed and that he needs to be someone other people can look up to. Mikasa, he isn't taking Eren away from you or from me. The three of us, we're still family"  
Mikasa let out a long breath before nodding  
"Ok. For Eren's sake, I'll try"  
"Thank you, Mikasa"  
"He really is such a cutie"  
Mikasa whipped her head around to glare at Hanji, not impressed by her words. The girl would probably explode from jealousy if she knew how many times Hanji had said those words   
"Hanji, I think she wants to kill you"  
Hanji shrugged   
"It's fine. Eren's probably complained about me calling him cute all the time"  
"He didn't say anything, about that"  
"Well he is and I do. Now, please try not to fight while I'm gone and if Eren wakes up, it's fine for him to get up and walk"  
"He can shift?"  
"If he wants to. He's probably feeling sad and embarrassed over the whole thing, so let's not mention our little conversation. Levi, I'm leaving clearing this with Erwin to you"  
"Of course you are"  
Because things hadn't been awkward as hell. Once Petra, Hanji, Eld and Gunther had all given their reports, he was left alone with Erwin. The man's gaze continually drifting back to him. Erwin had mentioned that there had been some nasty rumours, and suggested he might need to keep a closer eye on Eren for the time being. That was why he'd sought the kid out, seeing immediately that he was upset. He'd intended to let Eren blow off some steam, before finding a way to broach the subject... but that hadn't exactly gone according to plan. Now he'd both missed the time to talk about it, and he'd broken the kid's fucking wrist. He needed to sort his shit out, and actually talk to Eren. It would mean divulging his true nature, but breaking Eren's wrist was completely unacceptable. He could only hope the kid wouldn't look to him in fear, because he honestly didn't think his heart could take it.

The awkward silence left by Hanji leaving didn't last long. It was perhaps only 10 minutes before Petra and Eld let themselves into Hanji's office and Levi was grateful not to be the only "adult" in the room. While Eld stayed silent, the man stared down at Eren, a thin frown upon his lips. Petra naturally couldn't stay quite  
"How is he?"  
"Sleeping. His wrist's already healed"  
"That's a relief. He's so sweet, I can't believe he got himself hurt so soon"  
"That was my fault. I put too much pressure into the hold"  
"From what I've heard, Eren was pretty upset. I can't say I don't understand why"  
"Yeah. It was shitty, even by my standards. Hanji says he'll be just fine"  
"Is there anything we can do to help? He doesn't look to comfortable on the floor like that"  
"This isn't the first time he's slept on the floor in here"  
"Still, his bed would be much nicer"  
"We can't move him at the moment. Hanji is organising a bed to moved into his room for Armin"  
"Oh, that sounds lovely. I know he gets lonely if you leave him on his own for too long, and he could really use a friend right now. I'm disgusted by the rumours flying around this place at the moment"  
"We all are. I'll be talking to the squad leaders about the bullying occurring"  
"I don't understand how they can all be so cruel when he saved so many lives"  
"It was the Government again. Their shitty scientists told people Eren bit one of them. The kid was drugged and didn't even break the skin"  
"I know, he and I talked a little about it"  
"When did that happen?"  
"I accidentally grabbed his wrist, and he tried to laugh it off"  
"I see. He really hates people touching his wrists because of those bastards. Don't look at me like that, you're not the only one he talks to"  
Petra's smile widened  
"I know. You two seemed to talk quite a lot while we were staying at the house"  
"That's because the kid could barely cook. You should be grateful I was there to show him how to make breakfast properly"  
"It still didn't stop him from burning the bread"  
"That was on Hanji"  
"I don't know. I seem to remember she was outside at the time"  
"If she wasn't, I wouldn't have had send Eren out to track her down"  
"I think you just didn't expect to be back in her company quite so soon, so your blaming her"  
"I don't hear her denying it. Eren will probably be asleep for a while longer..."  
"That's ok. We only wanted to stop in make sure he was healing, and doing alright. I'll bring his dinner up tonight, and yours too Armin"  
"He's not an invalid"  
"No, but honestly, I would feel much better knowing what is going into his food"  
"Do you really think they'd poison him?"  
"I wouldn't put it past some of them. I just wish there was something more we could do, but we need evidence"  
"That's the tricky bit when it comes to rumours. The more shitty mouths it dribbles out, the more shit that gets added. For the rest of the day, you might as well take it off, or catch up on your paperwork. We'll be doing manoeuvre exercises tomorrow morning"  
"Alright. In that case, I might check my gear. I can't have Eren swooping in and saving me again"  
"I'm sure he would"  
"We all know he would. Please let us know if you need us"  
"Will do"

Tugging Eld out the room with her, both Mikasa and Armin were staring at him rather than the disappearing Petra and Eld   
"What?"  
Armin's cheeks redden and ducked his head  
"Spit it out"  
"Well, it's just. You have such a fierce aura, sometimes it's hard to remember you are actually human. No disrespect, sir"  
"I am capable of conversation"  
"I know, sir... sorry"  
"You're fine Arlert. I prefer honestly to those intent on sucking up to me"  
"Ok, sir. I'll try and keep that in mind. Um... in that case I think have a plan to help deal with the bullying, but it means going to Erwin"  
"Care to share?"  
The kid scratched at his obnoxious hair cut, before very hesitantly and somewhat shyly spelling out his plan.

 

*  
Eren was waiting in Levi's room with Hanji, while every single other member of the Survey Corps were currently gathered before both himself and Erwin. It was hard not to feel too smug and Armin's plan was... well, he was rather pleasantly surprised. Snapping to salute, the soldiers in front of them mirrored their actions   
"Tonight we will be practicing night manoeuvres. Squad Leader Levi will be the target. He will be heading into the training forest. You have until dawn to locate him. This will require you to coordinate with the members around you, and to share your information. Your squad leaders will keep you moving, and this exercise is limited to the edges of the training forest. If he is not found by morning, you all will be running laps of the training field until you drop"  
The laps may or may not have been Levi's own suggestion. Dressed in his uniform, the only addition was the white rag pinned to his cloak to help with visibility  
"Levi, you have five minute head start"  
"Right"  
There were the usual grumbles in the crowd, no one impressed that they were being made to spent the night in the forest, nor over the impending punishment. Of course, none of the squad leaders outside himself and Mike... and Hanji, knew the truth behind the exercise, only that if they didn't comply it would be a direct violation orders. With a smug smile Levi fired his anchors, disappearing into the trees... before promptly tugging off the white rag. Stuffing it back in his pockets, he used the shadows of the night to make his way around the gathered members, and finally back in the castle through the window to his room. 

Curled up on the bed next to Hanji, Eren was chewing his lip  
"It's done"  
"I almost feel sorry for them"  
"I feel sorry for Armin and Mikasa. This seems too much"  
"Eren, we used to do night manoeuvre practice quite regularly here. The older members of the Survey Corps remember it"  
"I remember you getting lost in the dark. When we found her, she was sleeping in a tree"  
Eren didn't look convinced   
"It's not my fault. They were so boring"  
"It was training"  
"It was boring training. Nothing ever happened"  
"That's because you were asleep"  
"I still don't think this was a very good idea"  
Nudging Eren, Hanji laughed  
"It was Armin's idea, you know that. Now, we have a long time until dawn, what should we do? Sit around and tell ghost stories"  
"It's not the same now that I know ghosts are actually a thing"  
"Well we can't trade stories about Levi, he's right here"  
"You're supposed to be down in the infirmary, on the off chance something goes wrong"  
Rolling her eyes, Hanji looped her arm through Eren's   
"Then I get to take him with me"  
"You do know he isn't the your possession"  
"Yep, but it's either he stays with you, or comes with me"  
"Hanji, I just want to forget what's happening outside. I can clean my room or something"  
"That's no fun"  
"I'm not really in the mood to be having fun"  
"Fiiiine. But if Levi's mean to you again, you come find me"  
"He didn't mean to do it, and I was the one freaking out. It's ok"  
"It's not ok, brat"  
"I just mean... I was angry enough to head butt you, so I probably had it coming and stuff. And you just wanted to stop me. It's not like you did it on purpose"  
The look the kid was giving him was painful. The kid truly believed his words, and even it was true, the faith Eren had in him was just... how could he have such faith after all he'd been through?  
"The head butt wasn't appreciated, but yes. I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry"  
"Awww. You two are so sweet. Alright. Levi, you better look after him"  
"Just get to work"

Once Hanji left, Eren went to slide off his bed. Without thinking, Levi grabbed his upper arm  
"Where do you think you're going?"  
"Back to my room?"  
"Not tonight. If you're tired, you can go ahead and go to sleep"  
"But..."  
"Eren, you look exhausted. I know you're worried about this and I know you didn't want to make a fuss of everything, but you're not the only one being bullied, and it won't be tolerated. We should all be at the age where we are better than this"  
"I didn't want to make it worse"  
"None of the fallout will fall back on you"  
"I just feel like... I don't know. I'm sick of being targeted for stuff I didn't even do"

Sitting down next to Eren, Levi stared at the boy before running his hand through his hair  
"Sit down shitty brat"  
"Wha... oh, ok"  
Sitting himself on the very edge of the bed, almost sliding back off. This kid was going to be the death of him. Waiting until Eren was finally sitting without being in danger of falling off the bed, Levi sucked in a shaky breath  
"Would it help to know you're not the only one who is a monster around here?"  
"Sir?"  
"I..."  
Levi's words faltered, he was too old for this nervousness bullshit. Pausing to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say, Eren nodded before he mumbled   
"Hanji told me... she was trying to make me feel better over Isabel. I didn't want to push you as it's not my business"  
Fucking Hanji... she had no right blabbing about this shit. He trusted Eren not to tell, but what about when he was drugged to gills? Then what? He couldn't be too mad, after all he was now telling the kid the same thing...  
"It's not something I talk about"  
"I've noticed. I haven't told anyone. Hanji told me that it's probably why we get along, because of our scents and hormones and stuff... I probably creep you out though, I mean, you just drink blood. I turn into an actual monster"  
"Drinking blood isn't that great"  
"I think I would rather that then being a Lycan. I mean, you can hide the blood thing"  
"Until I get too thirsty. There's something else you need to know. The woman you thought you killed, she was a pure blood vampire. I honestly didn't know there were more like me. I mean, it's been a while since I saw one"  
"She was like you?"  
"I'm only half blood. If you hadn't stepped in, I probably would have died. I know you were struggling with it, so I should have told you sooner"  
"No! I mean... it's your business. It's up to you who you tell and why and when. I know it might be selfish, but I do kind of feel better. You manage to have such a normal life"  
"I would hardly call it normal"  
"More normal than mine. If I can help you or prevent you going through what I did, just let me know"  
"You're too young to be thinking like that"  
"I know we're not exactly friends, or whatever, but it's still true"  
"You might be a shitty brat, but you're more tolerable than the rest of them. Anyway. If you want to sleep here, I don't mind"  
"Can I ask a question?"  
"It depends on what it is"  
"Would you ever drink my blood?"  
"Really? You can ask anything and you go with that?"  
"I was just wondering what it would be like"  
"I'm fine. Both Hanji and Erwin supply me with blood regularly, as well the rest of the squad in emergency situations"  
"So that's a no?"  
"Kid, you get into enough trouble as it is. You need all the blood you have"  
"You just said I wasn't that bad"  
"That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement"  
With his leaving abandoned, Eren flopped back  
"Now what are you doing?"  
"Sleeping?"  
"Not like that you're not. And not without a shower"  
"You never said that"  
"You shouldn't need to be told to shower your age"  
Climbing back up, Eren mumbled something about him being a tyrant, slowly stumbling his way over to the bathroom. Without a towel or change of clothes. Oh, for all things Wall Maria.

 

*  
The following morning came too soon. Eren had climbed into his bed, only to decide 5 minutes later that he wasn't tired and though Levi was all for cleaning, the brat decided he needed to clean the bathroom and ban him from it. The kid drenched himself in the process and needed another shower, so the hour was late before either of them got to sleep.

Coming to get them, Hanji looked positively gleeful. With Eren dressed in his uniform, the two slipped into the assembled Corps members where Petra was quick to wrap her arms around Eren. There was something, not quite soothing, but not not soothing at the same time so see how accepted he'd become to his squad. Marching through the group to stand at Erwin's side, the man looked him up and down before snapping to salute  
"It would appear none of the member were successful in finding you"  
"Indeed, they weren't"  
More grumbling piped up, but was levelled by a single glare from Erwin   
"It was as if misinformation was spread"  
"It would seem so"  
Slowly, very slowly looks of dawning appeared   
"The target of this exercise was to show you how much time, and how many resources can we be wasted by the spreading of misinformation, by making conclusions without knowing all the facts. I will not stand for childish games and property destruction within our ranks. I will not stand for this pathetic and petty infighting. You need to trust your life to your fellow soldiers and they need to trust you with theirs. And as none of you managed to find Levi, the punishment was laps of the training oval until you drop, I believe?"  
Levi nodded, drawing groans and curses from the group. The looks of anger made all this worth it. They'd all had their pride and ego's wounded, and it was a bitter pill to swallow  
"Full gear! Let's move people!"

Watching the others dragging themselves towards the field, Levi shook his head  
"You've just become the most hated person in history"  
"Was it worth it, though?"  
"Eren think we took this too far, but I think they got the point"  
"How was he?"  
"What? After I broke his arm, or told him I was a vampire"  
"You did what?!"  
"Calm down. He's part of my squad"  
"That may be so, but what if he..."  
"What if he what? Runs off and tells everyone? If you think he's like that, you've misread the kid"  
"What if this gets back to the Government?"  
"Then I'll deal with the fall out. He's not going to tell anyone"  
"Dammit Levi!"  
"What?! What do you even have to be angry over? It's not your secret or your life"  
"No. It's my head for keeping this a secret. He's just a kid..."  
"He's a kid who now doesn't feel as alone as he did before. Now, are you joining us?"  
"No. Go make a fool of yourself on your own"

Levi didn't understand Erwin's hostility, leaving him to chalk it up to jealousy on the man's behalf. Eren wasn't going to run his mouth off, surely him wanting to keep this bullying thing under wraps showed that. Annoyed this commander could be so narrowed minded, Levi fell into a jog beside Eren and Eld  
"Everything alright, sir?"  
"I should be asking you. Has anyone said anything?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I don't think they're game to"  
"Good. Eld, how was last night?"  
"Things went smoothly. Most of them were back here before dawn and no one thought to look in the castle, so I would say it's a success"  
"Once you've completed a lap, you can leave early. This wasn't a penalty designed for you"  
"How would it look if we left early"  
There were already people giving up, cutting back across the training oval, only serving to make Levi feel somewhat smugger about this  
"Suit yourself. Eren, you need to pick up your pace"  
"If I stay constant, I can run for longer"  
"You want to run for longer?"  
The brat shot him a grin  
"It's a beautiful day. The sun feels so nice"  
It was rather a nice day, yet the lingering dew on the grass left it sticking to his boots, ruining the mood somewhat   
"So I should expect to be running laps until lunch"  
"If you'll let me. This really does feel nice"  
"Let's just see how you go"  
"Is that a challenge, old man"  
Growling, Levi scowled at him  
"Old man?"  
"I will clean your bathroom for a whole month if you win"  
Both Eld and Levi were shocked, Eld adopting the role of big brother   
"Eren, don't be so reckless"  
"I could take him"  
"Are you hearing this, Eld?"  
"I think he's calling you out"  
"I think he is too"  
With a cocky grin, Eren held his hand out for Levi to take and shake  
"It's on"

Still competing against each other, they were still going mid-afternoon. Ultimately Eren managed to keep up and they still would have been stubbornly running if it wasn't for Hanji finally coming out and scolding them both, bringing things to a close in a draw. Which he was secretly grateful for. His uniform was drenched in sweat, even with them both stripping their shirts off, it was uncomfortably hot, leaving him not sure if he was sunburnt or if his face was red from the view.


	23. Chapter 23

Sharing a room with your best friend can be both a blessing and a curse. It wasn't like Eren didn't like sharing his room with Armin, but having to give him a play-by-play recount on his day every night had grown old fast. As had the way Armin always insisted on leaving the window open. Eren loved the fresh air, but something in his wolf side wasn't happy about his scent slowly vanishing from his room. He'd never known how soothing habit his own scent around was, not until Armin moved in and determinedly eliminated it. There was also the issue of the their different schedules, and the fact Armin stayed up reading late because he no longer had to fear Connie or Jean yelling at him turn the lights off. But what was really getting under his skin was Armin's probing questions as to what happened to his things and "Why did he need new uniforms already?". To escape his best friend, Eren now spent longer on his morning runs with Levi. It meant if he stayed out that extra half an hour, Armin would already be having breakfast by the time he got back and had showered. His friend had asked to come with him and Levi, meaning both of them had to lower their pace so he could up. After a week, Armin politely bowed out of their morning runs, leaving him feeling slightly guilty over it all.

Other aspects of his life had improved... dramatically. The rumours hadn't stopped, but they had lessened somewhat. As had the whispers and the stares as he went about his daily life. Eren supposing everyone was scared of Erwin making them run until they dropped again. He was able to attend classes, train and be Hanji's lab rat in relatively peace, and for that he was grateful. Out of everything, the biggest and best thing to happen was the mission he and the rest of Squad Levi were currently on. There had been a rash of weird animal deaths to the north. It wasn't like he was happy over all the death, but it was finally a mission. He was finally back out in the field again and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

 

*  
From the castle to sleepy village it had been a 6 day ride. 6 days of great weather, brilliantly blue skies and 5 nights of adventuring. He could shift and run around for hours in his wolf form, even racing against Eld on his horse. He'd been thoroughly beaten, but his mood so good that he really couldn't find the effort to care.

Now he was riding into the village with the others, Levi nodding to a few locals as they passed. The kid's on the streets all stared at them in awe, making his pride swell, as he knew those memories all too well. When Levi came to a stop in front of particular house, they all dismounted their horses before looping their reins through fence  
"Eren, try to get that smile off your face"  
"I can't help it, sir"  
"Well try to help it. It's creepy"  
"In case you haven't noticed, I am creepy.... anyway, who lives here?"  
"The woman that contacted us. Her name's Leah and she'll be leading us out to the farm where these animal attacks happened"  
"It's so nice and peaceful, it makes it hard to believe something like that is actually happening around here"  
"Petra, Eld, stay with Eren. Make sure he doesn't get carried away. Gunther, you're with me"  
"I'm not getting carried away"  
"You're still not coming in either"  
Huffing, Eren placed his hand on the soft nose of his horse  
"It's not like I wanted to go inside anyway"  
"Then stop complaining"

While Levi and Gunther were talking with Leah, Eren was still watching the world go by. A few of the braver kids were watching them between the gaps in the buildings, and each time they noticed him watching them, they'd duck back out of sight for a seconds, elbowing and whisper yelling at each other. Giggling, Petra smiled at him  
"I think you have fans"  
"I don't know, they could be looking at you"  
"Are you trying to compliment me?"  
Scratching the back of his head, Eren then shrugged  
"Is it still a compliment if it's true?"  
"Smooth"  
"I thought so"  
"You're going to be breaking hearts all over the place"  
"I'd really rather not"  
"Whatever happened to that member you were making out with?"  
"That... that was drunken mistake"  
"So you haven't talked to them?"  
"No. I didn't even really pay attention to who it was"  
"You don't know them?!"  
"I didn't say that. I know who it was by scent alone. No. I'm in no rush to drink and give a repeat performance"  
"That's a shame. You'll make someone a wonderful partner one day"  
"Yes, because going into heat is a whole lot of fun. No. I'm not looking to find anyone, so I guess if it happen, it happens"  
"How mature"  
"Hanji called it "laziness". But she also suggested we should have a baby, so I doubt I should be taking dating advice from her"  
Besides, it wasn't like his crush on Levi would leave him alone. He'd even chatted to Jean slightly flirty in an attempt to get his mind off Levi. It hadn't worked, especially when the guy was still clearly crushing on Mikasa. He'd tried his best for the pair of them, letting Jean tag along whenever he'd hung out with her, but Mikasa barely paid attention to anything that wasn't him, so it hadn't gone as planned. It had also led to the "sex talk" from Hanji and a very awkward conversation with Levi about how he didn't have a thing for the horseface or anyone else... bailing out on the plan of using Jean to hide his crush on Levi. He just couldn't do it. He had few friends as it was, and they were all precious to him... even Jean, though that depended on how much of an arse Jean was being at the time  
"Can you imagine Hanji as a mother?"  
Petra giggled, but honestly he kind of could. Sure the woman was spacey and experiment crazy, but she was amazingly kind and patient, at least with him  
"She'd be a good mum. As long as she didn't forget she actually had a child"  
"Moblit would make an excellent father"  
"You think so too?! They should just get together"  
Eren couldn't help but laugh as Eld finally joined in on their gossip   
"I know right. He's probably the only one in the world that could keep up with her"  
"I can't help but feel bad for him. He always looks so exhausted"  
"I talked to him when we came back, Hanji had him working nonstop while we were away. We should invite him on a mission sometime"  
"Maybe you could talk to Levi"  
The look in Petra's eyes was mischievous, Eren pouted jokingly  
"He'll probably tell me to calm down and not to get carried away again"  
"I don't know, you two seem to have gotten close"  
"Just what are you implying?"  
"Maybe you're Levi's Moblit"  
"Nope. I don't see it. Seriously. If we aren't training then we're cleaning"  
"He doesn't let any of clean in his room"  
"That's because I had to use his bathroom, and I value my life. I didn't clean, he'd probably send me off to he experimented on by Hanji"  
"Oh, I don't think that's true. It took all of us quite some time to become as close to him as you have"  
"You do realise I've already been under his supervision for a year now"  
"It's already been a year?"  
"Something like that. I honestly don't remember most of it"  
"Well, that is to bee expected. You've been through so much"  
Continuing his whiny and joking tone, Eren counted off on his fingers  
"Heats. Torture. Missions. Torturous heats... Why don't I have any good memories?!"  
"What are we, then?"  
"The best kind of memories, good friends. The kind I don't want to be just memories"  
"Aww, hear that Eld. He likes us"  
"What's not to like?"  
"Exactly. Wait, the door's opening"

Leah was a rather plain woman with stringy brown hair and an overly large nose. If Eren had to label her, he'd say average, as she'd blend in easily in any crowd. Forced to share his horse ..with the woman, he found that even her scent was unremarkable, other than the lingering smell of dirty water, which was making his nose itch like mad, and making him want too sneeze. The only thing stopping it was the fact it would be impolite and Levi wouldn't be impressed. He wasn't getting kicked off a mission over a sneeze, not when he was determined to finally have an actual win. But by all things Sina, he wanted to sneeze.

Dismounting by the sweeping veranda of the farm house, Eren was impressed by the sheer scale of the building. Out here, and with such a plain village, it might as well have been a castle. Leah was obviously used to it all, sliding from the saddle and heading inside without saying anything, and allowing him to finally sneeze, Petra counting once he hit 5, and stopping at 13, even Eren was impressed by the number   
"Now that you've got that out your system, what do you make of her?"  
"Me? What? You're the one who spent time with her, sir?"  
"You're the one with the nose, dog boy"  
"There was something on her that made me want to sneeze and she smelt like dirty water. I don't know, she only talked to give me directions"  
Petra nodded, walking from her horse and falling in beside Eren as they all moved to walk up the steps  
"Is there something we should be worried about, sir?"  
"No, but I feel like there is something more to this. She mentioned burn marks on the animal bodies, but as for death, she wasn't sure. That's why we are here. The owner of the house, owns the land all these attacks have happened on"  
Eren wrinkled his face up, finally his happiness was ebbing away to disgust  
"That's revolting. Who the fuck would burn animals and kill them? For what?!"  
"Eren..."  
"It's just wrong..."  
This was hitting way too close to home. Trapping and killing animals for food was one thing, but burning them and leaving their bodies. It made him feel physically sick  
"Eren, it's not like I don't understand where you're coming from, but don't forget that there may be more to this"  
"I just... never mind"  
Mumbling the words, he stepped onto the verandah, the smell of dirty water making him pause   
"What? What were you going to say?"  
"It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it. Let's just go talk to this person"

Levi stopped him just as Eren was about to enter the house, Gunther taking the lead with Petra and Eld, leaving the pair of them standing there  
"Are you alright?"  
"Am I alright?"  
"I saw the look on your face. You looked like you were about throw up all over your boots"  
"I just... the idea of animals being tortured for no good reason brought back memories I'd rather forget"  
"Did they burn you?"  
"I... the first time..."  
"I didn't know. I suspected, but it's not really the same thing"  
"I didn't tell you. I didn't even tell Hanji. I thought it was maybe just animal attacks, you know, but animals don't burn other animals. I don't want to think about it"  
"Will you be alright?"  
"Yeah. Who knows, maybe I'll sniff something out?"  
"Let me know if you do, or if you feel anything else"  
"Will do. We should head in"  
"Probably. Honestly, I don't know if I can take much more of Leah. She spent the whole time we were talking staring at Gunther"  
"Would you rather she stare at you?"  
"No"  
"Then there's nothing to worry about. Let's just do our jobs and figure this out?"  
"I don't need you tell me that"  
"Then stop stressing"  
"And here I was, trying to make sure you were alright. Just fucking forget it"  
Storming into the darkness of the house, Eren kicked himself mentally before following Levi. The man had actually been concerned about him, and he'd just fucked up it up like the airhead he was.

"Eren. Squad Leader Levi, this Hector. He, uh, saved us some samples"  
Petra was trying her hardest not to look at the rabbits and the small dog on the table. Their bodies half bloated with burn marks along one side of their stomach. Eren's stomach rolled. It was worse than he'd expected, and triply so because the poor things still had their eyes open  
"It's been happening for months and we've tried setting traps. We've caught nothing. Now there's kids around, we're worried it could be one of 'em next"  
"Can you tell us anything more about where these incidents happened?"  
"At first it was near the old dump, but it's grown. They found a chicken in town the other day, same as this"  
"Would you mind showing Gunther and Eren here out to where it started. Petra, we're going to take a look at these bodies. Eld, you take notes"  
"Anything you need. Leah will show you to the kitchen, 'bout only place big enough to cut 'em up"  
Eren's eyes were watering as he vomited into his mouth. He had no idea how Hector could he so casual about butchering these dead animals in his own kitchen. Turning and rushing out the house, he sucked in a desperate breath of air. It was like the stink had seeped into him.

Hector and Gunther soon joined him, Hector laughing in his face   
"What's the matter, never seen a dead animal? Don't make soldiers like they used to"  
"Sorry. He's got a sensitive nose"  
"Meaning he's never smelt shit in his life"  
Fatty was lucky Gunther was between him and Hector. The grimy bastard looked and smelt like he hadn't showered in the last month, and he had the nerve... The teen wanted to punch right in his fat mouth  
"Eren is actually one of our elite agents. His instincts are almost animalistic"  
"Maybe it takes an animal to find an animal"  
Gunther's joke was thrown back at them, Gunther scowling as Hector moved in front of them, leading them across his sprawling property.

The dump was just that. Bits of broken everything was paled high... into what seemed to be swampy ground   
"Started happening here, like I said. Mostly small animals, but it's only a matter of time"  
"And nothing changed in the lead up to the first event?"  
"Not that I know of"  
The whole place was giving him a creepy vibe. The stink of the dirty water was the same as what was on Leah... only much worse. Yuck. He felt gross. His body erupting in goosebumps, as his nausea grew worse. He didn't like the feeling of this place at all  
"Eren and I will scout the area, for now, its safer you wait back at the house"  
"Just don't go stickin ya nose in where it don't belong"  
"Understood"  
The pair of them remained silent as Hector ambled back down towards the house, Eren only feeling worse by the second   
"He's a nasty piece of work. What do you think?"  
Shaking his head, it wasn't like he didn't have an opinion, more like he feared vomiting  
"Are you ok? Why don't you sit? I'll take a quick look around"  
Sinking onto the grass, Eren closed his eyes, confused as to why he felt so sick. He hadn't eaten anything strange. It didn't feel like his heat... it just... felt gross... and cold. Since when was it this cold?

"Eren?"  
Opening his eyes to find Gunther's face right in front of his, Eren shook his head  
"Something's wrong here"  
"I don't sense anything"  
"I do. Don't you feel it? This place just feels wrong"  
"You said that. But how wrong?"  
"I feel cold and sick..."  
"Can you walk?"  
Gunther didn't wait for a reply, lifting him from ground and carrying Eren back down to the paddock they'd crossed through. Immediately he started to feel better, the coldness leaving almost immediately   
"It's ok, Gunther. I'm ok now"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah. I'm feeling better"  
Setting him back on his feet, Eren wrapped his arms around himself   
"What was that?"  
"I don't know. Like I said, I just felt really sick. I'm not feeling great, but not as bad as I was"  
"So there's definitely something going on here?"  
"I would say so, but I don't know what, or why. Should I shift?"  
"Are you up to shifting?"  
"Just to my wolf form? I was thinking maybe I could take a sniff around?"  
"You're not Mike"  
"No one's like Mike. No. I'm thinking that maybe I can see or so smell something closer to the ground. Did you see anything?"  
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Our boot prints, small animal prints, the usual household rubbish. Why he's dumping in a swamp, however, is a mystery to me"  
"He didn't exactly seem terribly smart. Alright. I'm going in. Is it bad that I'd would still rather be here than down in the house?"  
"I don't think Petra was overly thrilled"  
"Neither do I. Here I go"

Instead of walking back up to the swamp and dumping pile, Eren walked around the outside, sniffing and looking for anything that might be a clue. The throbbing in his head was making it hard to keep his mind in his job, but he wanted things to go well, so was pushing through what he was feeling. That still didn't mean he found anything. Skulking back to Gunther, Eren threw himself on the grass with a groan  
"That good? It's alright. We only just got here today. All we can do is take things slow and follow up with anything the others find"  
Nodding with a huff, Eren still felt like he'd failed. He hadn't been able to go too close to the swamp, which lead him to believe whatever was there, was what they were looking for. But he was keeping that to himself. He'd learned his lesson about rushing in... until Levi looked at the site, he'd keep it to himself  
"Are you alright? Can you shift back? I don't think Hector or Leah will understand"  
Regretfully, Eren shifted back. Groaning as he went about straightening himself out  
"This place makes me want to take a shower. Where are we actually staying?"  
"Leah's organised something"  
"I hear she's got a bit of a crush on you"  
Gunther snorted, reaching down to help him up  
"I'm surprised Levi noticed"  
"Surprised he noticed or surprised he told me?"  
"Both, really"  
"He tends to notice the things you really wished he didn't"  
"You've got that right. Are you ready to head back?"  
"Yeah, do think I can get away with sitting outside?"  
"This animal thing has really gotten to you, hasn't it?"  
"A bit. But nothing I can't handle. That swamp on the other hand... I really don't want to go near it again"  
"That depends on Levi"  
"Think he'll notice if I go missing"  
"I thought you were excited for a mission"  
"I am... until I knew the details"  
"The sooner we've figure it out, the sooner you can put it behind you"  
"That's true"

 

*  
Leah's accomodation was actually Hector's barn. It wasn't much of a barn, and it stank of cows, but it was warm so Eren wasn't complaining. Actually, he hadn't said much of anything since he and Gunther had returned to the others. They had been mid-autopsy on the dog when they'd returned, which Eren hadn't been able to watch. All it took was one look for tears to form in his eyes, so Petra had stepped outside with him, leaving Gunther to take over the job of actually performing the procedure. His stupid mind had flooded him with memories of having his own body sliced open. He knew the dog was dead, but he still felt as if cutting into it was wrong. He would have preferred to bury the poor thing, but he also understood the importance of collecting evidence, so had spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the house's back steps with his face buried against his crossed arms. Petra thankfully respecting his need to process things without voicing them. Even Levi had left him alone, which had stung. It wasn't like he wanted the man fawning over him, or at least he'd never admit he did, but his partner hadn't even asked what he'd experienced up at the swamp, instead Gunther had filled him on it all. That why they were now waiting for the lights in the house to go off, so they could head back up to the swamp, which seemed to be their only lead.

Sitting away from the others, Eren's gaze kept wandering back to Levi. He was kind of surprised how well Levi seemed to be taking sleeping in the barn. He knew the man had to be bothered, after all, this place was cesspool of germs and other nasty things, but over the night, he'd even managed to smile as the others made small talk about the case. The teen had to admit he was envious over Levi's calm exterior. He knew the man must have seen plenty of horrible things, and he knew that with time he'd probably become desensitised to it all, but that thought honestly scared him. As long as he was suffering from so many conflicted emotions and thoughts, he felt he could label himself human  
"Eren, are you alright?"  
Faking a yawn behind his hand, Eren nodded to Petra, before his fake yawn turned real  
"Yeah. Just getting tired"  
"You've been staring at the wall for a while now"  
"I like to think I was sleeping with my eyes open"  
"That sounds creepy"  
"I've seen Hanji do it. It is, especially when lets out a really big snore"  
"If you're not up for coming tonight, you can stay here"  
"What? No. I'm good to go. I'm just not great at waiting"  
"Alright, the lights are still on, so if you want to take a nap..."  
"No, I'm fine. Besides, who else is going to sniff things out like I can?"  
"That's true. As long as you're alright"  
"I'm ok, Petra. Thanks for asking"  
With no idea as to why she interrupted his internal musings, Eren closed his eye. Levi immediately calling him out   
"Just take a nap"  
"I'm fine"  
"Look you shitty brat, just take a nap"  
"I don't need a nap"  
"Just take a damn nap"  
"I don't need one!"  
"Someone's cranky..."  
"Eld, you're seriously going to jump in and make me sound even more like a little kid?"  
"Yep"  
"I hate all of you"  
Petra laughed, Eren opening his eyes as she moved over to him, a blanket now in her hands  
"We all know that's not true. Gunther mentioned how ill the dump made you, so if you need a nap, it really is ok"  
"You guys worry too much"  
"And you don't worry about yourself enough"  
"Look out Eren, Petra's going into mum mode"  
"I am not"  
"Really? You didn't grab the blanket because you thought Eren might be cold? And hiding the fact he wanted to nap"  
"Maybe... but I think we've established he doesn't want to sleep now"  
"So what are you going to do with the blanket?"  
"I'm going to sit over here with him and share it"  
Doing just that, Petra wrapped the thin blanket around the pair of them. Resting her head against his shoulder once she was done  
"If you're not going to nap, then I'll just have to nap for you too"  
"Don't take a nap"  
"Why not? You said Eren could"  
"That's... well..."  
"Petra! I think you made him flustered"  
Sighing in annoyance, Levi crossed his arms   
"The whole lot of you are brats"  
"Hear that Eren? Isn't it nice to know you're not alone?"  
"I think I can live with being a brat"  
"Good"

It was the middle of the night before the lights went out in the house. Both Eren and Petra had fallen asleep, roused by a very smug looking Levi. Blushing slightly over the fact he'd slept next to Petra and the fact they'd all been watching them sleep. He totally wasn't in the mood to go hunting down whatever lived in the swamp or near the swamp. He wanted to crawl into his bedroll and blankets and sleep through until morning. Even if he wasn't sure he would. He hadn't considered the whole nightmare issue as it'd been weeks since he'd had one scary enough to wake him up, but he definitely didn't want the others to see him if he did. Forcing himself to at least appear functional, Eren brought up the rear of the group as they plunged into the inky darkness of the night.

Perhaps because the world was so silent, every breath and every footstep sounded amplified as they walked to the dumping grounds. The wrongness he'd felt during the day was now gone, meaning his could actually approach the area without feeling sick  
"So this is it. What a shitty mess"  
"Where do we start? Do we start by sorting through the trash? Or do we wait to see if something happens?"  
"It depends on Eren. Are you feeling anything?"  
"No. Not right now"  
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Levi if he did, but thought better of it. He didn't know if the team knew he was now in the loop when it came to Levi's true nature, and he didn't want to betray the trust Levi had placed in him by telling him about his thirst for blood  
"When you were here before, how close could you get before you felt sick?"  
"Not this close. Like I said, I'm not feeling the same thing I did before"  
"So either something is here, and it's left to hunt for the night. Or, there's nothing here and what you felt before was nerves"  
"I wasn't nervous. It started out as nausea, then I felt freezing cold. It lessened the further away I moved"  
"And it worsened near the swamp?"  
"Yeah. It was like something in it didn't want me near here"  
"So our sniffer dog is out of action. If there is something here, then we shouldn't disturb the scene too much. We'll watch the area until sunrise"  
Great. A night with a stinky, rubbish filled swamp, waiting for something to magically appear. It definitely wasn't his idea of fun  
"We'll stay in the trees. Eren, do you want to shift?"  
"Do you want me to shift?"  
"You'd make great bait"  
"So now I'm bait. Fine"  
"Don't think of like that. Think of it like, um, sleeping on the job"  
Petra's words didn't help. Shifting, Eren walked over to the closest tree before huffing as he dropped down with his back turned towards the others. He should have just stayed in the barn, with the nice warm fire drum and his own bedding. Resting his head on his paws, he tried to relax enough to fall asleep. Sure. He'd wanted to prove himself useful, but he also felt liked being bait was kind of an insult.

Despite waiting all night, nothing happened. Come morning though, he felt incredibly nauseous again, unable to stop himself from vomiting pitifully in front of everyone. Levi didn't seem to sense anything, so sent him and Petra back to the barn while the others began sifting through the rubbish. Once back at the barn, Petra sent him to bed, even though he'd offered to stay awake and make breakfast with her. Dragging his bedding up to the second story of the barn, he found himself a small corner to hide away in. How was he supposed to learn anything if he was being treated like bait and like a kid?!

His mood was worsened when the others left him sleeping until mid afternoon. Eld and Gunther had headed into town to talk with the locals about the incidents, while Petra and Levi had been with Hector. Returning for a late lunch, Gunther had brought him up food, before filling him in on the previous night. There had been more chicken deaths, the chickens bloated and burnt, just like the animals they'd seen in Hector's living room. By the sounds of it, Gunther was confused, as they had yet more clues and no solid leads. Even searching the swamp had lead to nothing. At certain depth, the ground had become like quicksand, so Levi had called the search off. This only made more convinced that there was something there, but Gunther wouldn't take him back up there or allow him to return there without Levi.

Levi and Petra didn't return until well after Eren had finished lunch. The man looked thoroughly annoyed, so Eren waited patiently until Levi finally decided they were heading back up to swamp. Just the two of them. At least he'd have no trouble controlling his crush near the swamp. It was hardly the most romantic place in the world.

Sitting beside Levi, Eren was staring at what he was sure was now bane of his life. He wanted to wade into the sludgy water and investigate for himself, yet since they'd got there, all Levi had done as stare at it. What he'd give to know just what the man was thinking. He was probably disappointed by the fact Eren kept getting sick, but it wasn't like he could help it. Ultimately and kind of strangely, all they did was stare at the pile of trash, before Levi turned and Eren found himself following him back to the barn. Still just as confused over everything as he had been since he arrived.


	24. Chapter 24

Levi knew Eren was getting disheartened by the lack of progress. Even he had to admit he was feeling a certain kind of anger towards the case as it wasn't progressing as fast he would have hoped, and sleeping in the death trap of a barn was revolting. Hector was hiding something, or at least that's what it felt, yet thanks to his position he couldn't just beat it out of the man. Despite how badly he itched to. His gut was telling him that this all traced back to the swamp. It was where everything began, and where his thoughts continually returned to, but each time Eren got close, the brat to sick, so they weren't able to rely on Eren's abilities for this. He didn't blame Eren. The place did feel off, and the kid couldn't help being sick. He could actually smell the shift in Eren's scent, meaning he could tell Eren wasn't just faking it for attention, nor was it lingering memories over being tortured, like the ones that caused the brat to lose his cheerful smile on their first day there. He hadn't thought of the implications of animal cruelty when he'd accepted the mission, and Eren had been so damned happy over it, so he couldn't have declined. He liked when Eren was happy. The world didn't see quite so bad when the boy gave a genuine smile. It was a look he wished Eren would wear more often.

Watching over his sleeping team, Levi was instantly on guard when the teen he'd just been thinking about started climbing down the ladder from the second story. Everyone else had made their beds close to the fire drum, but Levi reasoned Eren didn't want to make a scene if he were to have a nightmare, so had said nothing about the boy sleeping up there alone. He'd been through enough, and the memories of Eren's desperate plea to be normal wouldn't leave his mind. The kid shouldn't have to worry about things like that. Nor should he have to remember being tortured, while living in fear that wouldn't be too long before the government returned and repeated the process. Stepping off the bottom rung of the ladder, Eren started walking, yet there was something about the way he was walking, that left Levi following him, rather than calling out and asking what the kid was up to. He was stumbling, but seemed as if he knew what he was doing, and that was enough to peak his interest. Though, for all he knew, the kid could simply need to take a shit.

Tailing Eren, it soon became clear his goal was the shitty swamp. The kid had said he didn't feel the same discomfort during the night as he did during the day. That didn't mean he was just about to let the kid plunge headfirst into whatever he had planned, no, if Eren risked hurting himself he'd step in, but until that happened, he'd follow the kid and keep his mouth closed.

Reaching the swamp, Eren didn't even look around before walking right over to it. Without pausing, the kid began wading into the freezing water, Levi finally growing concerned. He knew Eren had excellent night vision, so the kid had to have known what he'd done, but Levi's heart was racing as he jogged the few steps over to the swamp's edge  
"Oi! Brat!"  
Ignoring him, Eren continued in, before ducking below the surface. Fuck no. He was not letting the brat down healed in the putrid filth. Gritting his teeth in revulsion, Levi stepped into mud, finding it ever bit as freezing as he remembered  
"Eren!"  
The boy probably couldn't hear him. Wading through the mess, he cursed his short stature as he was forced to tread water long before Eren had  
"Eren! You better not be dead!"  
Swimming out, he had to use his feet to feel around. Eren still hadn't surfaced, and his worry was practically off the charts. He'd come to stop Eren from doing just this, and yet, he hadn't stepped in sooner. Scrunching his eyes closed, he dived into the muddy water, feeling for Eren as he did. It took half a dozen attempts before his fingers finally found the boy. Grabbing him by the collar, Levi had to fight to drag him to the surface. It felt like the kid weighed a ton, and it felt like something was attempting to pull them both down. Angered by the situation and by his fear, he dragged the kid back from the swamp, dumping him on its edge  
"Eren!"  
Wiping at his face, he got no response  
"Eren! Don't you dare fucking covered in this shit!"  
Shaking the kid, he still got nothing. Swamp gunk rolled down his face, stinging at his eyes as he tried to rouse Eren   
"Come on! Wake up, brat!"  
Shaking him harder got no response. Fuck. Shit. He couldn't help him here. Gathering Eren into his arms, the kid shivered against him. If he was shivering, he had to be alive. That was something...

Half-jogging and half-running, Levi made his way back to the barn, kicking the door open rather than placing Eren down. He had to get the kid out of the drenched clothes he was in  
"Sir?!"  
"We need blankets and water"  
"What..."  
"Now Eld!"  
Eld frowned, but moved into action as Petra and Gunther stirred  
"Sir?"  
"Help me strip him down. Petra, put more wood on the fire. He decided to take a swim in the swamp"  
"What?! Why would he do that?"  
"I don't know, and he's unconscious"  
Around him the others were rushing, but it felt like they were moving in slow motion. Manhandling the kid, something fell from his hold, yet he ignored in favour of getting the kid naked  
"Here's the water"  
"Good. Petra, get his bedding. Gunther, make him something hot to drink"  
"What about you, sir?"  
"I'm fine"  
His voice was a growl, everyone was too close to Eren. He just needed them all to back the fuck off and to let him help the brat. Pouring the first bucket of water over the kid, Eren shot up, throwing up swamp gunge all over himself, in time for the second bucket to be dumped over him. The kid was still fucking filthy. His whole body spasming from the cold. Coughing and heaving, Eren slumped sideways, as two more buckets were placed down beside the pair of them  
"Sir?"  
"I'll handle this"  
"Are you.."  
"I said I'll handle this. Leave us for now!"  
With the third bucket of water, he scrubbed Eren down the best he could, the kid's body was as cold as ice. Once done, Levi stripped his own clothes off, before scrubbing himself down and rinsing with the remaining water. It wasn't enough to even come to close to making him feel clean, but there was no way he was going to sit around covered in filth. Without towels to dry themselves with, he wrapped Eren in a blanket, forcing the kid to sit on the floor near the fire, before covering himself up. Their clothes completely ruined, and his anger threatening to explode. What the fuck had the shit been thinking!?  
"Sir?"  
Fucking Petra. Trust her to be the first to pry  
"We're covered"  
Eren was still coughing up swamp gunk, Petra moving to sit behind him and rub at his back as Eld brought over two mugs of steaming tea. Eren's hands shaking so badly that Petra had to wrap her own around his so he could hold the mug  
"Eren, what the fuck were you thinking?"  
"Sir..."  
"He nearly fucking died. Now is not the time to gentle"  
"But..."  
"Either he tells us what the hell he was doing, or I'm sending him home. We can't afford a liability while we are out here. He left the barn and walked straight to the swamp. He knew what he was doing"

"Levi, you might want to take a look at this"  
"Not now, Gunther"  
"Yes, now"  
Glaring at his second in command, the man was holding something brown and filthy   
"What the fuck is that?"  
"I think this is the reason went to the swamp"  
Walking over to them, Gunther sank down near the light of the fire. Levi felt sick at the sight of the skull in his hands  
"Are you fucking serious?"  
"It's been bashed in on the side"  
"How the fuck did he even know it was there?"  
"No idea. Eren, what happened?"  
Eren shook his head  
"Don't give me that"  
"Sir, just let him warm up. He's still frozen"  
"Then he shouldn't have gone fucking swimming in the middle of the night. You nearly drowned. Is this skull really worth it?! You dead?!"  
He expected the kid to yell, or to burst into tears. Instead he just sat there with his head hung  
"There's no way this skull can belong to an adult..."  
"Look, I think we all need to calm down right now. Eren has had a scare, but yelling at him isn't going to help anything. Wait until you've both finished your tea, and then we'll talk"  
Fucking Eld being the fucking voice of reason. And who did Petra think she was? Holding Eren like he belonged her. Grinding his teeth together, he then spat bitterly. Shitty swamp water had made it into his mouth. Not caring that the tea was almost too hot to drink, Levi downed his mug, the warmth burning it's was through his chest painfully. He'd nearly lost Eren. They'd nearly lost Eren. Why the fuck did they have to be so calm about it? And why was he freaking out so badly?!

It wasn't until Petra urged him to drink that Eren finally sipped his tea. The kid's body was still twitching like crazy, but he managed not to spill it. Keeping the warm mug in his hands, Eren finally looked up at him, before looking to the skull in Gunther's hands like he'd only just noticed it  
"Don't give me that. What the fuck happened?! How did you know it was in the swamp?!"  
Eren flinched, Levi feeling like a dick for taking such a hard stance. But it was either be a douche, or father the boy into his arms and admit how worried he was, and that was not about to happen in front of an audience   
"Eren, please. Can you tell us what happened?"  
Eren shook his head  
"What do you mean no? What was going through that head of yours"  
"I... d-don't r-remember"  
"You don't remember crawling down from the second story of the barn and taking a casual midnight drowning?"  
The teen shook his head  
"N-no, sir. W-what h-happened?"  
"Eld, can you get Eren another blanket please? He's still cold"  
"Of course he's fucking cold, we both are. And I want to know why?"  
"D-don't k-know... w-where d-did the sk-skull come f-from"  
The boys speech was haltered, his teeth practically chattering. Pinching the bridge of him nose, Levi resisted the urge to slap the kid. Piling another blanket on Eren, Petra wrapped it tightly around Eren   
"From the lake. Don't you remember finding it?"  
"N-no... was sleeping..."  
"You were sleeping?!"  
Eren nodded  
"Until... y-you poured water o-on me"  
"Brat. You climbed out of bed, made your way down the ladder, left the barn and walked to the swamp. You want me to believe you were asleep"  
Eren sighed, the kid wriggling his painfully red exposed toes  
"Eren, can you tell us what you were dreaming about? Do you remember?"  
"K-kid"  
"You were dreaming about a kid?"  
"S-same one as last night..."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Eren had a dream that left him a little rattled last night. It was about a little boy who smacked his head falling down the stairs in Hector's house"  
"Are you seriously trying to tell me Eren's running around having dreams about random kids?"  
Ok. He could maybe handle the ghost of Isabel, but now Eren was dreaming about what? another ghost? Ghosts could touch things, or even be seen. Shit. He was still wasn't entirely convinced he had seen Isabel in Eren, or whatever that was, let alone a ghost killing things...  
"I think for now, Eren should rest. He still isn't warming up"  
"He's the only one with any information, and he still hadn't explained just why we had to go swimming"  
"I d-don't know"  
Blinking at him, Eren looked pathetic. His lips still tinged blue, his bottom one trembling as his fingers gripped the blanket  
"Fine. But you're sleeping down here, between Eld and Gunther. If he tries to leave again, make sure you stop him. Petra, I'll leave breakfast preparations to you and for now, that skull doesn't leave our possession or sight. Not until Eren is able to explain this shit to us"

Unable to sleep, or even consider sleeping with the filth of the swamp still hanging on him, Levi headed out to the well. He didn't give two shits that Hector may get mad over how much water he was wasting, he was going to be clean. Armed with two bars of soap, and a team looking over Eren to prevent any return trips to the swamp, Levi scrubbed and scrubbed, despite the fact he was frozen solid by the time he was done. Still, he'd rather be cold and clean. Returning to the barn, he found Eren was now propped up against Gunther, while Eld was slapping his back. The kid practically wheezing as he coughed   
"What's wrong with him?"  
"He's coughing too hard to catch his breath"  
"Has he warmed up?"  
Eld pressed the back of his hand to Eren's cheek  
"A little, but not as much you'd expect"  
"Alright. I'll take over. There's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight"  
"We can handle this"  
"It's fine. We both know you're better at the people side of thing, so if any deaths are reported tomorrow, I'll leave it to you"  
"Yes, sir"  
Moving to let him sit beside Eren, Levi nudged the kid down, placing him into the recovery position before making sure he was covered completely in blankets. Remaining sitting beside Eren until the others made themselves busy, Levi then laid down next to the teen. Covering himself with his own blankets, spooning up behind the boy. The whole time telling himself he was only doing it to warm the teen up, and that it had nothing to do with the fact he wanted to pull the kid into his arms and make sure he was warm and safe.

Eren finally fell asleep just on dawn, the kid still a shivering wreck under the blankets. While Petra, Eld and Gunther headed off to first talk to Hector, and then into town on the off chance they might finally get some news, Levi let himself fall back to sleep. Waking a few hours later to find they'd both shifted in their sleep. Eren was now curled into into his side, his head on Levi's chest with a leg thrown over his waist. Did the brat have no sense of shame? His crotch didn't... and fuck the kid stank. He was lucky he was sleeping, and finally warm... really warm and stupidly soft in his hold.

 

*  
With Eren now awake, and clean and fed,... but most importantly clean, the kid was holding the skull in his hands. He seemed just as confused as to what he'd been up to the previous night, as the rest of them where, and Levi was growing impatient as Eren's mind continued to wander. Snapping his fingers in front the kid, again, Eren snapped back  
"Sir?"  
"Eld, hold the skull. Eren, you need to start talking. You said the last thing you remembered was..."  
"Climbing back to the ladder to go to sleep. Then, the next thing I knew, I was having a bucket of water dumped over my head"  
A full sentence. Miracles do happen!  
"Petra said you've been dreaming about a kid?"  
"Uh. Yeah..."  
He spoke too soon  
"Eren. This is where you tell us about these dream of yours"  
"I. Um... it's just about a kid. I don't even know him"  
Petra sensed his anger  
"Eren, just tell him everything, like you told me"  
"But it was a dream"  
"For Maria's sake! Spit it out already!"  
"There this kid. He's playing out the front of Hector's house, like on the veranda and stuff. Someone calls his name, so he runs into the house. When I walk into the house, he's laughing and giggling, but he trips on his own feet and falls down the stairs. The next thing I know, this kid's dead at the bottom of the stairs with blood under his head. Then I wake up"  
"That's it?"  
"I'm sorry my nightmares aren't vivid enough for you. I didn't have the dream the first two nights we were here, but now I keep seeing the kids face"  
"Did he look like Hector?"  
"He looked more like Leah. He had the same dark eyes"  
"So do we think he was related to Leah?"  
"What? Like his son?"  
Levi rolled his eyes  
"No. Like her father. Of course like her son, or her younger brother?"  
"They did kind of look the same"  
The kid was an idiot. How had he somehow developed feelings for a shitty, idiotic, brat?  
"Eren, do you remember anything at all about last night? You mentioned dreaming. Were you dreaming about him?"  
"I'm sorry. I can't remember"  
"Did you dream about him before? While we were out?"  
"I... uh, no. I don't think I did dream. Once I fell asleep, I was pretty out of it"  
Eren's eyes went to the skull again, he looked as if he was about to take it back from Eld   
"What do we do? Now that we have it?"  
"We can't just accuse them of killing a kid. This could be an accidental death"  
"I don't think so. I mean, you don't place a skull in a swamp"  
"Or a kid for that matter... How could someone do that to a kid? Do you think all of him is in there?"  
Levi shrugged, he was used to the death of children in the Underground. Most of them were beaten to death by their own parents, or were killed to spare them the mercy of starving to death, or freezing during winter  
"We can't tell without searching the swamp, and after last night, that's completely out of the question. By the looks of it, the kid's been in there for a while"  
A few moments of heavy silence hung in the air   
"I... um... I think I want to go back there"  
"You're not going back there"  
"Maybe we could find something"  
"Did you not listen to me? No one is going back there"  
"We can't just sit around and do nothing..."  
"We aren't just sitting around. We need to think this through seriously"  
"What's there to think about! A kid is dead and was thrown into a swamp with rubbish! Like the kid was rubbish! We should be talking to Leah!"  
"So now you think your dreams mean something?"  
"No, but she seems happier to talk than Hector does. Or we could talk to people in town? Ask around about a missing kid? We're already talking to them about dead animals. Can't we just work it in and ask about missing animals? Missing kids?"  
"He has a point sir..."  
"Don't go agreeing with him, Petra. We all need to think"  
"The only deaths in the village last night were a could of chickens, and that was thanks foxes"  
"So the same night Eren decides to go swimming, we have no deaths caused by whatever this is?"  
"They have to be connected somehow"  
"Eren, are you absolutely positive you can't remember anything?"  
"I'm sorry. I must have been sleep walking"  
What had happened to the time when life had been easy, and the only things they needed to worry about were werewolves? Since Eren had come along, Levi had been caught up in experiencing and feeling things he'd never thought he would, and for the most part, he couldn't blame Eren for any of it. The only thing he could blame the kid for was their first disastrous mission together, which was his own fault for testing the kid  
"Sir, I think it would be best if we did confront Hector. This could be the very thing behind the case, or we could be pouring all our energy into this while it's not. We've been out here for 5 days now, and we're still no closer to figuring this out"  
Taking a deep breath, Levi let it out slowly  
"Alright. Tonight we'll return the swamp, Eren will once again act as bait, but we'll also take the skull with us. If nothing happens, we'll confront Hector tomorrow. Do we all agree?"  
Eld, Gunther and Petra nodded, while Eren was off in his own world again. Clicking his fingers, the kid jumped   
"Oh. What? Yeah. But what do we in the meantime?"  
"Sleep. We need to be prepared for anything. We sleep, then once the sun sets we'll head up to the swamp"

 

*  
Yet again, Eren wondered if he was going crazy. First he'd slept walked. Then he'd found a skull. Then he'd nearly drowned... twice, but to cap it all off, he'd woken up naked and covered in Levi's scent. He was vaguely aware that the man had slept next to him, but there was pretty big difference between sleeping next to someone, and waking up under their blankets naked and slicking. He had to be crazy. There was no other explanation. He was crazy and now he was even more dangerous thanks to this whole sleep walking thing. He'd honestly tried his hardest to remember the previous night, but nothing at all was coming to mind, and after his second near drowning from Levi, even the memories of talking by the fire felt foggy.

Seeing that he'd found the skull, Eren was now the one holding it. Or laying next to it. The others were up in the trees, waiting for something to appear, but the teen wasn't sure it would. The whole feeling of the swamp had changed. It was like the aura of the place was now concentrated in the skull, though he wasn't completely sure he wasn't just freaking out over the fact a child had been dumped in the swamp. Rolling over to face the object in question, his eyes caught something moving just beyond the tree line. Something that seemed to be looking right at him, like the kids he and Petra had seen hiding in the village  
"Hello?"  
What the fuck was he doing?! Why was he saying hello? For all he knew, he could be the next thing to die around here!  
"I can see you, come on out!"  
His mouth wouldn't stop, and his team probably thought he was crazy. There was that word again. What did Armin say? If you say something often enough, it becomes true? Was it the same if you thought it? Picking the skull up, Eren sat with his legs crossed and the skull facing towards whatever was moving around in the shadows  
"Is this you? Or was this you? I know you might think you're in trouble, but I just want to help. I promise. And I know my friends might look a bit scary, but they're all really good people"

Very slowly, a timid figure popped its head out from behind the tree. Not at all trusting him, but clearly curious  
"It's ok. I know you're not human, but I'm not either, and I'm not going to hurt you"  
The figure had to be a good 15 metres away, but Eren swore he heard it whispering right in his ear. The voice clearly that of a child's. Placing the skull down, he let himself shift, raising himself up onto his hind legs, to show his wolf form off in its entirety. Feeling like the kid now got the idea that he really wasn't human, he shifted back, positioning himself in the same spot, before taking the skull in his hands again  
"Now it's your turn. Fair's fair"  
Before he could really process it, the figure raced across the space, throwing itself at him and into his hold, sending Eren backwards with the force as the child started crying. The skull knocked from his hands, leant against his leg and he hoped the rest of the team weren't about to attack the scared kid  
"How... how come you can see me?!"  
The boy's words came between his sobs as Eren was filled with an incredible feeling of loneliness. Tentatively he wrapped his arms around the child  
"Because we're kind of the same. My name's Eren. What's yours?"  
"Sai. Mummy said not to talk to strangers"  
"We're not strangers now you know my name"  
"I want my mummy!"  
"I know you do. Here, why don't you sit up? I can't see your face when you're talking to my chest"  
The kid was so fragile in his arms. His body robbed of its human warmth, but Eren still kept his arms around him, even once he'd gotten the kid to sit in his lap. He didn't know what to say next. The rest of the squad were probably waiting, and as much as he wanted to call them down, he didn't want to scare Sai away. Gradually the boy's tears slowed enough for his curiosity to return  
"Are you dead?"  
"No, Sai. I'm a kind of werewolf, but a good one. Why do you ask?"  
"Because you can see me. No one else can see me"  
"Ahhh... I might be a little bit special. But I think you might be special too. Am I right?"  
Sai sniffed, smearing his snot over his hand as wiped at his face  
"Is that why you're here? Did mummy want you to get rid of me?"  
"No, Sai. Your mummy didn't send me to get rid of you. I want to help you. Can you tell me about all the things you can do?"  
"You mean the animals? I just wanted to be friends... I just wanted to play with them, but when I touched them, I hurt them. I didn't want to hurt them!"  
Holy Sina. No wonder the kid was in so much pain. The poor boy was so lonely, and had a power he couldn't control. He knew that feeling all too well, and he was filled with the urge to protect this boy, despite the fact he'd already passed  
"I know. And I know you're a good boy. You always loved playing didn't you? In Mr Hector's house?"  
"Mummy would play hide and seek with me"  
"That was my favourite game when I was a kid, but my mum always found me"  
"Mummy always found me too... I miss my mummy"  
"I know. You've been really lonely, haven't you?"  
Sai nodded against him. His small hand grabbing Eren's arm where it was bare. The feeling of burning registered almost immediately, but he didn't pull away. For Sai's sake, he could pull away  
"Why can't they see me? Is it because I was naughty?"  
"You haven't done anything wrong. And I'm sure your mummy wants to see you more than anything. She loves you very much"  
"Sometimes I watch mummy. She cries and cries"  
"That's because she misses you too. Can you maybe tell me what happened?"  
"Will you show me your wolf again?"  
"I promise"  
The kid held his hand out, pinky fingers raised. Linking his, Eren shook  
"See. It's a promise"  
"I fell. I wasn't supposed to be playing out the front of the house, but mummy was changing the sheets... and I was bored. I thought I heard calling me, but when I went upstairs, she got all grumpy and told me to go wait in the kitchen"  
"She got grumpy?"  
"I grabbed the sheets"  
"My mum made me go to bed without dinner once for making her clean sheets dirty"  
"No way!"  
"Way"  
"My mummy didn't do that. She threw the sheet over me and tickled me"  
"She sounds like a good mum"  
"She was... she told me to wait down in the kitchen and then we'd play hide and seek while Mr Hector was out of the house... but... I think I fell. When I woke up, it was so cold"  
Rubbing the boy's arm, Eren wished he could warm him up  
"Mummy could see me. No matter what I did... she couldn't see me"  
"Even if she couldn't see you, that doesn't mean she loves you any less"  
"I want to see mummy"  
"How about this. Do you think you can hold onto me, super tight? Like really, really tight? I can take you down to see you mummy, and you can ride my back"  
"I can ride you?"  
"Like a horse"  
"Mummy never let ride a horse before"  
"That's ok, I'm a wolf remember"  
Nodding, Sai climbed from his lap and Eren paused a second to hold his hand out slightly with his palm out, trying to tell the team he knew doing and they just needed to wait a little longer. Shifting, he lowered himself down, Sai immediately burying his face against Eren's fur as his fingers grabbed fistfuls  
"You're so soft"  
Giving a kind of rumble, Eren turned to give the boy a lick, laughter finally gracing the boy's lips  
"And silly!"  
Waiting until Sai was seated properly, Eren slowly rose  
"Wait! Can we... can we take that to mummy?"  
And what was he supposed to say he when did? Oh, I just happened to find your son? And he wants you to have his skull... after you probably hid his body in the swamp...  
"I want to be with mummy"  
He couldn't say no to that. Something inside him felt like it was breaking each time Sai said "mummy". With the utmost care, he took the skull in his mouth. Rubbing his fur again, Sai rested his head on Eren's   
"Thank you"

Alternating between a slow run and a walk, the road to the village seemed to take forever to reach its destination. Despite the hour, there were a fair few lights still on. With soft and small tugs on his fur, Sai guided him to Leah's house, as he'd kind of already suspected, the woman was the kid's mother. His heart was racing as he stepped up the first step  
"Mummy won't be able to see me, will she?"  
Shaking his head, Eren sincerely wished that that wasn't the case  
"It's ok. I know you'll tell mummy for me. I want to tell her much I love her and that I don't want to watch her crying anymore"  
A lump formed in his throat. If he could see his own mother again... if he could tell her how much he loved her and how sorry he was... with a shaky paw, he scratched at the door. 

Leah looked exhausted, her eyes red as she sniffled. Not waiting for her to open the door completely, Eren darted inside before he lost his nerve. For a woman who'd just let a wolf into her house, she was remarkably ok with it all. Even if he hadn't been in the house before, he could smell the scents left behind by Gunther and Levi, and followed them through to the living area. Leah still remaining silent. Placing the skull down on the table, he lowered himself so Sai could slide from his back, before shifting. The woman's eyes widened as she gasped  
"What?! How?!"  
He really could have used Petra right about now. Instead he just had Sai standing beside him  
"Uh... I know this looks kind of weird, but I promise you it's not. Well it kind of is..."  
"How did you...?"  
"I'm kind of special. I, um, met your son. Sai"  
Leah rushed from the doorway to the table, snatching up the skull and clutching it tightly to her chest as she started to cry   
"It was him... wasn't it?"  
"Kind of. Sai is here. He's been watched over you this whole time. He said he wanted to be with you, and asked me to bring his remains down to you. Oh. He also says he loves you. He misses your smile and he hates seeing you cry. I know it kind of sounds weird, but he honestly never wanted to hurt any of the animals. He was just lonely and wanted to play..."  
Sai tugged hard on his ear   
"Tell her I'm sorry about the sheets"  
Eren couldn't help the small laughing snort that escaped  
"He said he was sorry about the sheets. But he was really happy when you tickled him, and he was really looking forward to playing hide and seek"  
"He... can hear me?"  
"I know you can't see him, but he's right next to me..."  
"My... my baby..."  
Leaving his side, Sai walked to his mother and wrapped his arms around her waist, while didn't really seem to have the same effect on her like it did for Eren   
"Is he..."  
"He's wrapped his arms around you. I know it's hard and I know I could never ever understand your pain, but he loves you so much. He just wanted you to know and to be with you"

Sinking to sit on the lounge, Sai sat beside his mother. The woman's hands stroking the soft bone of the skull  
"You must think I'm a terrible mother"  
"Honestly, it's not my place to judge"  
"I wasn't supposed to bring him to the house... and after the accident, Hector said... he said he'd take care of him. I thought that meant... where was he?"  
"The swamp..."  
Leah let out a long wail   
"I think he lead me there, because he wanted to be found. He wanted to go home, back to you"  
"I suspect and I searched! I searched and I never found him!"  
Next to her, Sai's form began to change, shifting from that of the pale yet healthy? child, to one that look starved apart from his swollen stomach. It made sense in a sad way. The kid was starved of love and affection, stuck like this and robbed of his life. The boy gave Eren a sad look, before placing his hand on his mother's   
"I loved him. I loved him so much! And I couldn't even help him!"  
"He knows it was a tragic accident, and he knows how much you love him. He was so proud when he was talking about you. The fact he was so happy and felt so loved is all the proof you need that you're a good mum. At the end of the day, if he thinks you are, then you must be"  
Sai nodded at his words  
"My baby... I miss him so much"  
"He misses you too"  
"Does... he hate me?"  
"No. Not at all. I promise you that"  
Eren didn't know what to do next. Tears were rolling down his own face, and he kind of felt like he was intruding   
"Sai. Baby. Mummy loves you so much. I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry, but we're together now"

It was weird and kind of beautiful. A warmth filling the room as Sai returned to looking human again  
"Thank you, Eren. And thank you for letting me ride on your back. Your fur it's so cool!"  
"You're welcome. I'm happy I could bring you back to your mummy"  
They both felt it as the warmth grew intense for a moment longer before almost "popping", Sai fading away. Hugging the skull tighter, Leah looked to him  
"Is he? I mean..."  
"I think he's passed on. Honestly, I have no idea what happens when you do, but if it feels so warm and loving like that, I choose to believe it's a good place"  
"T-thank you for bring him back to me"  
"I'm... I mean. You're welcome. He really was a sweet boy. You raised a good kid"  
"Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble..."  
"It really isn't trouble. Not now that we know everything. Oh shit... my team"  
Leah sniffled and nodded  
"You need to get back?"  
"Sorry. I kind of left without getting permission"  
"Your secrets safe with me, and your other one"  
"Oh... about that... I didn't even think. Can you please not tell anyone? I don't want to put you in danger"  
"You gave me back my son. It's the least I can do. I can't believe he... the swamp..."  
"You deserve better than this life. I know what he did was wrong, but please don't..."  
"I'm not going to get revenge. Sai wouldn't want that. I think, it is time for me to move on from this place"  
"Yeah. I'm sure you'll be ok. I need to go..."  
"Thank you, Eren"  
"You're welcome, Leah"

Without Sai on is back, Eren ran. His heart still felt like it was breaking. The kid had just wanted his mum, yet no matter how close he got, she couldn't see or feel him. It wasn't fair. The boy didn't deserve it. He deserved to be laughing and happy. Not... not any of this. Running through the yard and into the barn, Levi rose to scold him, the whole team looked worried. Shifting back mid-stride, Eren threw himself at Levi with a sob. The man catching him much easier than he'd caught Sai only a few hours earlier. Curling his fingers in as he clutched Levi's jacket, he sobbed against the man's shoulder  
"Is the case solved?"  
Nodding, he continued to cry. Very slowly, Levi returned the hug   
"If anyone tells Hanji, you're dead"

Guiding him to sit, Eren still was half hidden against Levi. The man hadn't shoved him off, and he couldn't actually, physically let go. While Petra wrapped him up in blankets, Gunther made tea  
"Can you tell us what happened? All of a sudden you started talking and then you shifted, then you shifted back and then shifted again and ran off"  
Nodding, Eren let out a shaky breath  
"It was him. The kid from my dream. He was Leah's son, Sai"  
"What did you see?"  
"I could see him. So I shifted. He was so lonely. No one could see him. He tried to pat the animals, but he'd hurt them. He... he just wanted a friend. He wanted someone or something so he didn't have to be alone anymore. He didn't mean to cause trouble. He just... he didn't want to be alone"  
"Is that why you took the skull?"  
Eren sniffed as he nodded again  
"He wanted to go home to mum. He was watching her. He watched her grieve him. He tried to tell her he was there... and now I've separated them again"  
"What do you mean?"  
"He means that that was the boy's wish. You know how all ghost stories have some kind of unfinished business, his was that he wanted to be with his mother"  
"Y-yeah... but... but now he's gone and all she's got is his skull! H-Hector told her he'd deal with it! She thought he'd bury him... she's been searching the swamp... and now they've been separated again. It's not fair!"  
Dissolving back into Levi's side, his whole body heaved with effort from his sobs  
"No. It's not fair. But he must be happy now. If he's passed on, he's no longer stuck here. He's no longer lonely. You didn't split them apart, that happened when he died, in the accident, right?"  
"He slipped!"  
"Ok, that's enough. You don't need to yell in my ear"  
Levi's tone was less pissy than his word. Petra continued softly, as if she hadn't been interrupted   
"He was happy. You took him back home Eren and you made him happy. Now Leah has a part of him with her and she finally knows what happened to him. He's resting in peace and she can move on"  
"It's not fair"  
"No, it's not"

"I guess this means the case is closed?"  
Levi nodded against him, the man still hadn't pushed him away  
"I would say so. We'll leave in the morning. There's no point staying around now that everything is settled"  
"What do we say in our reports? That Eren can see ghosts?"  
"No. Our reports are submitted to the government. For now, it's best we say it was human, but it's been taken care of. The people were poachers, that met an unfortunately end"  
"Did you know about this ability?"  
"Somewhat. If you ask Hanji, she'll explain it as "animals can see all kinds of things we can't", or something like that. I would prefer Erwin wasn't made aware. He's under orders to report things like this, and if it came out that he did know and didn't report it, it's not going to look good"  
"Of course not. I refuse to give those bastards another reason to hurt Eren"  
"T-thanks P-Petra"  
"We'll discuss it tomorrow. I think Eren needs some time to calm down"  
"I... I just need to think"  
"Petra, were are his things?"  
"We moved the bedding for dinner, so they'd be against the wall"  
"Come on, brat. Up you get"

Forced over to his bedding, Eren had his arms wrapped around himself as Levi set up his bedding  
"Are you just going to watch?"  
"Sorry, sir. I was just... did I really do the right thing?"  
"Do you feel like you did?"  
"I don't know. He wanted to be with his mum so badly... I could feel it. I could feel how lonely he was. He didn't know if she was mad at him, or if she even loved him anymore... it hurt. It still hurts"  
"Brat. You did what he needed. You got him back home. That's what he wanted and needed. What they both needed"  
"Then why does it hurt so much? I wanted to protect the kid. I didn't even know him, but I hated it. I hated him being dead. It wasn't fair"  
Rising back to his feet, Levi placed his hand on his shoulder  
"In that case, I will tell you. You did the right thing. You gave him and his mother something they both needed. You gave them back each other"  
"I..."  
"No. You did. We'll need to talk about this on the way home, but for now. You did the right thing"  
"But..."  
"Brat. You know how much I hate repeating myself"  
"Sorry, sir..."  
"Good. Now get some sleep. When we get back to the castle, we'll need to make up for slacking on training"  
"Alright, sir. And, I'm sorry... and I'm sorry for crying on you. I just feel like I did something awful"  
"It's alright. It was a tougher mission than any of expected, but this was the best outcome we could hope for"  
"Thank you... and thank you for letting me..."  
"It's alright"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The child is very loosely based on Gaki, or Preta. Hungry souls? Or spirits? And I would like to blame Ghost Hunt volume 11 entirely for it... and maybe the fact I needed another mission, where Eren finally got a win. Even if it didn't feel like it.


	25. Chapter 25

Levi knew Eren was still feeling guilty over Sai and Leah, though he didn't understand why. The boy had been quiet after breaking down sobbing against him over it. Even during the ride back to the Castle, his forced smiles never reached his eyes, and when they'd encounter a pack of werewolves he hadn't even asked if he should shift, instead helping to cut them down... before falling back into his awkward flunk. Levi didn't know how what to do. He didn't know what to say. He'd told Eren he'd done a good job and that he'd done the the right thing... wasn't that enough? The kid seemed more and more withdrawn as the days passed, yet there was something in his wide bright eyes that was silently begging someone to wrap their arms around him and tell him he'd done the right thing, and Wall Maria he wanted to. He wanted to get up each time he heard the kid crying softly, but didn't want to upset the kid further. So, he'd watched over Eren until they'd returned to the castle, before gently sending the boy to check in with Hanji while the rest of them debriefed with Erwin. After 5 days of deliberating, their poacher story was perfected, all of them lying to Erwin so smoothly Levi almost believed them. He didn't even feel guilty for it, his mind was already back downstairs in Hanji's office, where hopefully she was actually getting through to the boy. For Levi, this case really had gone the down the best way possible. No one had been hurt. No one had died, other than Sai who was already dead before they'd arrived. The mother was reunited with her son. The boy had been able to tell his mother how much he loved her and now they were both at peace. So why wasn't Eren? Why did the kid have to take things so deeply?

Waiting until he'd unpacked his gear and showered, Levi then headed down to Hanji's office to collect Eren, only to be informed by Moblit that they were in the in the infirmary. It probably a bad thing that he rolled his eyes at the news, with his first thought being of course he was, rather than "what happened?". Heading through to the infirmary, Hanji was taking blood samples from Eren, while the kid was laying on the bed with his face covered by the pillow  
"How is he?"  
Shrieking, Hanji jumped back from Eren. Clutching the needle to her chest as she over exaggerated her breathing   
"Levi! Don't do that to me"  
""Cut the crap Shitty Glasses. Is he alright?"  
"Yep. Perfectly healthy, I just want to check a few markers in his blood"  
"I'm fine, sir"  
Hanji rolled her eyes  
"Eren, you're allowed to be upset. It sounded rough, but he was happy, and that's the main thing"  
"I know..."  
Pouting towards the doorway, Levi nodded, moving towards it  
"Eren, I'm just going to talk to Levi for a moment. I want to know what he felt near the swamp. You just take a few minutes, then you're all good to go"  
"Ok..."  
"Good boy"  
Striding over to where he was waiting, Hanji realised she still had the needle in her hand. Shrugging, she slipped into her pockets, before grabbing his arm and pulling him into the hallway  
"What the fuck, Hanji?"  
"What's up with Eren? Has he been like this since Sai?"  
"Pretty much. I was hoping you'd be able to get him to talk"  
"I could get him talking, but I couldn't get him to stop. He feels so guilty over it all, like he split them apart"  
"I noticed"  
"Did you really? He sounds like he's feeling pretty lonely"  
"Hanji, I've spent the last five days with him. I know all his fake smiles by now. That's why I was hoping he'd talk to you"  
"You're the one he should talk to. After what happened with Isabel, you're in the best position to understand Leah's feelings"  
Levi snapped, the bite in his tone betraying his collected exterior  
"Don't you think I've fucking tried. He doesn't want to talk to me. Instead, he just gives you that fucking look, like he wants you to hold him and tell him everything's alright. This whole fucking mission got to him badly, yet he still managed to do his job and close the case. I've told him he did a good job. Even if he nearly got himself downed over some shitty ghost, he still did the right thing. So don't act like I haven't noticed he's not alright and don't act like I don't give a shit about him"  
"Whoa... ok. I was just saying that I'm worried about him"  
"You're not the only one. Do you have any idea why he's so caught up on it? He looks lonely, but he's hardly alone"  
Hanji hummed, a brief look of something flashing across her features before she recovered  
"What? What is it?"  
"I was just thinking..."  
"That makes a first"  
"Look. Eren's an omega wolf, that's what we decided to call him. He had a womb. He had the chance to possibly conceive and carry a child, and all his heats haven't led to him falling pregnant. Perhaps he feels guilty for taking the child away from his mum, especially now the he knows he won't be able to have children of his own"  
"Are you telling me, the brat wants a baby?"  
"Maybe not consciously... it's in his base make up to reproduce. It's a natural imperative in animal species, and as much as he is human, he also has this other side to him. He's probably searching for someone to provide him with comfort, even if he's not aware of it"  
"I thought you said he was drawn to me?"  
"Yes. But you've made it clear that you're not interested in mating with him, so he is most likely searching for a new mate"  
Levi's heart began to race as his body erupted on goosebumps from the solid block of ice now settling in his stomach. The kid thought he didn't want him. Why wasn't he happier about this? He'd scolded himself so many times over the spark he felt between himself and the brat, but now that Eren didn't want him... he didn't want to let him go? Was that it?  
"Look. He probably isn't even aware of this, and if you asked him, he probably wouldn't even be able to explain it. Now that I've finally figured it out, I'm going to have a think about what we can do. It would be easier if I knew what they'd given him to suppress his heat. His body is probably flooded with conflicting feelings and emotions, not to mention his hormones"  
"He's not going to go into heat, is he?"  
"I don't think so. Despite being so distressed, he hasn't exhibited any signs or symptoms of it. For now, I would say it's safe to let him return to training tomorrow, and that he'll probably find himself gradually feeling better now that he's back with his friends"  
"And you're done with your tests for now?"  
"Yes. Though I would like to talk to you about what you felt at that swamp"  
"I'm not like Eren. I didn't feel what he did, nor did I see the kid"  
"Alright. You can take him back to his room, but maybe let him use your bath. He still smells like swamp water"  
"I was going to send the kid to shower, but I guess he's deserved a bath"  
Hanji rolled her eyes  
"You're so kind. I should have his blood results complied by tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know if there's anything we need to worry about"  
"Fine"

Leaving Hanji, Levi returned to Eren's bed. The boy still had the pillow covering his face  
"Eren?"  
"I'm sorry"  
"What are you sorry for?"  
"Hanji dragged you away to talk about me, didn't she?"  
"She did. She mentioned you might be feeling a little down because of your hormones or some shit"  
"My hormones?"  
"Yeah. She'll figure things out. For now, you need a bath"  
Peeking out from behind the pillow, Eren sniffled at him  
"A bath?"  
"I think you deserved it. You did a good job, and you still look exhausted. You'd probably fall asleep in the shower"  
"Probably..."  
Climbing off the bed, Eren wiped at his face  
"Did Hanji say anything else?"  
"She asked if I saw or felt anything, but mostly she wanted to know about you"  
"I'm fine... I will be fine. I just can't stop thinking about how much that kid loved his mum. It made me think about my own mum... I wish I could have told her I loved her one last time"  
"I'm sure she knew"  
"It's different actually saying it to her face. Sorry, I shouldn't be dumping this on you. I just need a hot bath and sleep. Everything will look better after that"  
"It's got to beat sleeping outside on the ground"  
"It's not that bad, but I kind of have missed my bed"  
"Of course you have. You're still a brat"  
For the first time in days, a tiny smile formed on Eren's lips. An actual smile and not that forced shit. The cool feeling he'd been submerged in finally started to fade. This kid had him wrapped around his little finger and he didn't even know it... not that Levi would admit it.

 

Over the course of the next fortnight, Levi kept a painfully close watch on Eren. The kid was alright when he was with his friends, but every so often, he'd catch Eren resting a hand on his own stomach without seeming to notice he was even doing so. Some days he'd go all day without doing so, and some days his hand would hover there almost all day. The fact that the brat wanted a brat of his own confused him, as Eren was the first to scream from the rooftops that he wanted to be normal, but it also left him sympathising for the boy. His nature was demanding something that wasn't possible, and it wasn't fair that Eren had to go through something else yet again. It wasn't like he could help the kid, and with his heat still having not hit, it was entirely possible Eren could live a perfectly normal life now. He didn't need to give into his desires to breed. He didn't need to seek a mate, and he could just let these things bloom naturally. He should have been happy for him, but he just... he couldn't get Eren off his mind. Which was probably why things went to shit before he could comprehend what happened.

 

*  
Yawning as he stood on the floor of the training forest, Eren couldn't help but he bored. Bored to the point where he was tired... and hungry. He'd been so hungry lately, and his stomach kept rumbling no matter how much he ate. Usually poking and prodding it made it shut up, but he was now seriously starving  
"Oi, Yeager! Get a move on!"  
"Shut up horseface!"  
"Ooooh, you're so scary. Seriously, are you just going to watch?"  
"Yep! I'm waiting for you to fall!"  
Landing a few steps away, Jean marched up to him  
"What the fuck did you say?"  
"I said "I'm waiting for you to fall". What did you think I said?"  
"That's rich, remind me what the fuck you're doing here?"  
"Waiting for my team"  
"Awww, did they get sick of babysitting you?!"  
"Shut the fuck up, Jean!"  
"Why don't you make me?"  
Catching the sound of anchors lodging themselves in the trees above, Eren turned in an attempt to catch sight of his squad members. The object of their group training was to pass on a series of messages, and now it was finally his turn  
"Yeah! That's what I thought. Why don't you just go jump off a cliff or something, you suicidal bastard"

It happened in an instant. Jean was acting too cocky after running his mouth off, the fellow teen not even looking as he fired his anchors and launched himself off the ground. If he'd taken the time to pay attention, or even actually look up, he would have seen Eld and Levi approaching. Instead, Jean ran straight into Eld, their gear tangling as Jean's anchor was pulled from the tree, sending the pair spiralling and straight into Levi. The sound of the crunch sucked the sound from Eren's world, his stomach rolled and he nearly heaved as he screamed the man's name. Falling limply from the tree he'd smacked into, the angle Levi ended up in had Eren's blood running cold. It... it wasn't natural. Screaming Levi's name again, Eren tore across the space between them, throwing himself down beside his partner. A thin trail of blood ran from Levi's mouth, and Eren thanked whatever power that was out there, that the man was unconscious. Forgetting all his medical training, he rolled Levi onto his back, barely finding his breath as he leant over his mouth. Behind him, someone grabbed his shoulders in an attempt to pull him away. Screaming for Levi, he fought them, completely hysterical and terrified that if he took his eyes off Levi, the man would die. Throwing his elbow back, he finally hit whoever was daring to keep him from Levi. He couldn't lose Levi. He just... he needed Levi. He needed him by his side. He needed him safe and awake and yelling at him to clean. Lifting Levi, Eren couldn't believe how light the man really was. It wasn't until Levi's head lolled against his chest that sound came flooding back into his world, and he realised he was begging Levi to wake up. Ignoring the others yelling at him, Eren began to walk. Hanji would know what to do. Hanji would tell him Levi would be ok. Levi had to be ok. He was too strong not to be.

Laying Levi down on the infirmary bed, Eren collapsed to his knees as he sobbed. He knew he needed to let Levi's hand go, but he couldn't. It felt like the only thing tethering Levi to this world, and that if he let him go, then something would break. Something inside of him would shatter and he'd never be fixed. He knew he was wrong for developing feelings for Levi, but he'd never sat down and truly examined what Levi meant to him. He loved Levi. He was in love with Levi and a world without his cranky partner... he couldn't imagine it. He couldn't imagine not making tea for him, or going for morning runs without him. He couldn't imagine not placing a blanket around the man's shoulders when he fell asleep doing paperwork, or not hearing his voice again. He didn't care if all Levi ever did for the rest of his life was yell at him. Unable to catch his breath, his tears blurred his eyesight so badly that he couldn't even make Levi out. He loved him. Even if Levi could never love him back, he still wanted to stay by the man's side. He just... as Eren's eyes rolled back and slumped to the floor unconscious, he still tightly held onto Levi's small hand.

When Eren woke, he was laying in the bed next to Levi's. His first instinct was to rush to the man, but Erwin was sitting beside him now, holding the hand that he should have been. He wanted to scream at his commander to leave, but the words wouldn't come, instead a small whimper came from his lips. With his focus being consumed by Levi, he was blind to the fact Hanji was sitting on the other side of his bed  
"Eren?"  
It hurt to tear his eyes from the scene as he turned to look at Hanji  
"H-Hanji..."  
"Hey, how are you feeling?"  
"How's Levi?"  
"That's not what I asked. You scared me when you collapsed"  
"I'm fine. How's Levi?"  
Erwin spoke up, his voice rough with emotion   
"His back is broken. We don't know if he'll ever walk again"  
Tears formed in Eren's eyes again  
"Hey, no. Levi's strong. We need to believe in his powers"  
"His powers aren't worth anything. His back's broken. You said it yourself"  
"H-Hanji"  
Moving from her seat to his bed, Hanji threw her arms around him  
"He's strong. He's so strong. He'll be ok"  
"Don't tell him that! He hasn't even woken up!"  
Wrapping his arms around Hanji, Eren sobbed against her   
"He's not supposed to be hurt! He's not!"  
"I know..."  
"He was just..."  
"It's ok. Jean told us what happened"  
"He should have looked!"  
"It was an accident"  
"I can't lose him Hanji. I can't. I can't go through that again"  
"Shhh. He's still alive. He'll be back to yelling at us soon"  
"If I hadn't... if I'd just ignored Jean..."  
"Well you didn't. Levi could die because you and your boyfriend had to get into a fight"  
"Erwin!"  
"What? It's true? Everyone knows how loose Eren is. It's no secret, especially after Levi walked in on him. This is all his fault"  
"Erwin, I understand you're upset. We're all upset, but there is no need to say that"  
"It's all because of him! He was supposed to give us answers! But what good has been?! None. Now the Government is breathing down our necks. And we have no results because he's useless"  
Clutching Hanji, Eren whimpered as he tried to hide from the man  
"That's enough"  
"I don't know what you see in him. We should have just let him be executed like the monster he is"  
"That's it! Get out of my infirmary!"  
"You have no authority here"  
"I do when it concerns my patients health!"  
"He's an animal!"  
"He's Levi's partner!"  
"That was a mistake. I never should have put the two of them together"  
"Erwin, you need to leave"  
"Why? You know it's all true. Isn't that the only reason you put up with him? Because you cut him to pieces and he heals?"  
Whining, Eren was just about pushing Hanji off the bed in an attempt to hide   
"Erwin Smith! You get out of this infirmary right now, or I will forcibly have you removed!"  
Erwin gave a broken laugh and Hanji released him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head  
"Eren, it's ok. I just need to deal with Erwin"  
The moment Hanji moved away, Eren darted to the floor and under his bed, curling into a ball with his stolen blankets. He'd known it. He knew Erwin hated him. Hanji's boots clicked against the infirmary floor, 5 low clicks followed by a slap  
"Get out of here and cool your head! Don't you dare come back here until you're thinking straight!"  
With a low scraping, Erwin rose from his seat  
"If he dies, Eren dies too"  
With that, the man finally left. Shaking hard, Eren scrunched his eyes closed as he whined deeply. 

"Eren, he's gone. It's ok"  
He couldn't reply, even if he'd wanted to. His fear was too great. All he could hear was Erwin blaming him on repeat. He'd caused this   
"Eren, please. I can't... I don't know what to do, and I don't want you down there. You're not an animal. You're Eren. Erwin didn't mean the things he said"  
Eren felt himself shift to his hold form, reducing him to growls and whines   
"Please. Levi needs you too. He cares about you..."  
He didn't want to hear it  
"Please Eren, if I can give him some of your blood, it might heal the damage"  
He could help? He could actually help Levi?  
"Eren. Please"  
Pathetically slowly, Eren forced himself to unfurl before dragging himself out from under the bed. His ears flat against his head, and his tail was firmly tucked up between his legs. Cowering on the floor, he looked up to Hanji sadly  
"Thank you. Can you get onto the bed? So Levi can feed?"  
He didn't want to get on the bed. He didn't want to be the reason Levi was hurt further. But Hanji took matters into her own hands as she manhandled him off the floor and onto the side of the bed, the base digging painfully into his stomach as she shoved his left leg into Levi's mouth, pushing up hard against his teeth. It was enough to rouse Levi. The man tearing into his leg and pulling off a huge chunk of fur and skin as he snarled. Startled, Hanji fell back while Levi gnawed   
"Eren, get back!"  
He couldn't. He was already trying. Wrapping her around his waist, Hanji pulled back, causing Levi's teeth to drag through his flesh before finally dislodging. The man made to move from his bed, only to find he couldn't. With blood covering his mouth and chest, Levi looked terrifying, Eren whimpering from the sight and the from the pain of his mangled leg  
"He can't... he's not in his right mind. I'm sorry! I didn't think he'd hurt you. I'm so sorry"  
He wanted to comfort Hanji, but blood was pooling beneath them. The woman didn't even seem to notice as she cried. Throwing his head back, he howled.

It was Moblit who found them on the floor. The man peeling Hanji off him so he could look at Eren's leg. The skin was healing slowly, and the site felt like it was on fire. With a gentle voice, he finally got Hanji to calm enough to help move him up onto his bed again. The woman finally calming down enough to wipe her face and look professional-ish  
"I'm sorry Eren. Levi must be in too much pain to control himself right now. The blood should help..."  
"Hanji, for now we need to clean Eren's leg up, as well as the blood on the floor. Once Levi regains control of himself, we'll talk with him about how to proceed. For now I would recommend locking the infirmary door, as if he does happen to lose control again, Eren is honestly the only one who would be able to restrain him"  
"Yes. Of course. You're right. I'll bring you something for your pain and something to help you sleep"  
With a wary growl, Eren nodded. His own instincts wanted to snap and bite at both Moblit and Hanji. It was better for both of them if he were to be sedated.

 

*  
Staying by Levi's side, the man couldn't contain his bloodlust. He'd have moments of lucidity, before lapsing back into uncontrollably rage. The last week had passed like this, and the first thing Levi had requested was not to be given any more of Eren's blood. It'd hurt to hear and he couldn't understand why. His blood would help, that's what Hanji had told him, so why wouldn't Levi want any? It made no sense to him, and no one wanted to give him a straight answer. By now, the whole castle knew Levi had been hurt, and assumed Eren had been too as he hadn't ventured out the infirmary.

After 10 days of this, Eren was gently woken by Hanji. His sleep cycle was completely off, and he had to fight to keep his eyes awake  
"Eren, Erwin's here. We need to talk"  
He didn't want to see Erwin. He still couldn't get his words out his head, but none the less, the man was indeed there. Standing beside the bed Levi was restrained in  
"Eren, we've decided to move both you and Levi"  
Swallowing hard, Eren's throat felt tight   
"Levi is too much of a danger at the moment, and if you were to shift, we might not be able to handle it"  
"Erwin isn't saying that you will shift, only that he knows how hard this is for all of us. We've talked, and we've prepared a cart for you"  
"Where are we going?"  
"Do you remember the way to the house we stayed at? The one we prepared in case you went into heat? It's close enough that I can come check in with you and see how Levi's doing, but it's also far enough away that if anything were to happen no one would be hurt"  
Right. So that was it. They were both monsters and now they were being sent away  
"We've packed things for both of you, and though Levi is healing, the process is taking much longer than we expected. We have fresh vials of blood prepared, enough for the next two weeks at least, but like I said, I'll check in with you next week. If you're not up to this, we understand..."  
"No... no, I'll go. Moblit said I was probably the only one who could handle being attacked by Levi. I don't want someone else being hurt. Levi would never be able to forgive himself"  
"We've shackled his hands and feet, and I've flooded his system with a sedative, though I'm not sure how long it will last. His body doesn't really react to sedatives"  
"Eren, once you're outside, you're once again an enemy. We can't give you back up or protection. So if something goes wrong, you need to handle it yourself until you get back to us. We are trusting you with Levi's life"  
"I won't let him down..."  
"Good. You need to leave now. It's early morning, but the sun won't be up for another few hours"  
"I understand"  
Erwin lifted Levi from his bed, the man dwarfed in his hold.

It was all a blur, moving from the infirmary to the waiting cart. Hanji had well and truly gone overboard with the supplies, but then again, they had no idea how long they'd be away from the castle. Lowering Levi into the cart, Erwin's fingers gently traced the man's jaw line. It was a moment Eren was sure he wasn't supposed to see, and a moment that filled him with jealousy. He hadn't even been allowed to hold Levi's hand, let alone touch his face. Climbing into position on the front bench, he gathered up the reins  
"Don't forget, you can do this"  
"I know. I promise nothing will happen to him"  
"And to you. You're just as important to me"  
"Thanks Hanji. I... I guess I'll see you soon?"  
"Yeah, Eren. Now go"  
Flicking the reins, the horse started forward. Eren still in shock that they'd actually released him and Levi... but then again, they couldn't just keep Levi in the dungeon. If anyone was to see him there and try to help... it probably wouldn't end well.


	26. Chapter 26

Eren wasn't sure he could take much more of this. It'd been nearly a month a half since they'd come to the house. It'd taken right up to the previous week for Levi to finally bring his hunger under control... and then it had taken Levi all of ten minutes to realise the house was a mess. It wasn't like he wasn't trying, but with Levi spending most his time in chains, except for bathing and using the toilet, he'd fallen behind on keeping on top of everything. After the first week with no improvement, Hanji had changed to fortnightly visits for the next two, always bring more and more vials of blood, it was now up the point that Eren wondered if they weren't trying to keep them away forever. But now that Levi could actually retain his sanity, she'd left them to fed for themselves, and Eren was exhausted. He knew he'd prayed to whatever was out there and said he'd take of being yelled at if it meant the man would be ok, but now he wasn't even sure what he was being yelled at over anymore. The moment Levi had asked him to clean, he had. He'd started on the top floor and worked his way down as Levi wheeled himself around in the contraption Hanji had made for him. He knew Levi was angry at the situation. He knew he wasn't really angry at him, and that the man was probably embarrassed that he had to be looked after, but he just... he felt like he was going to implode. He was so tired, and every time he closed his eyes, Levi would yell that he hadn't done something or other. To make things worse, he felt physically sick. Like he'd come down with a cold, and he couldn't even manage to eat more than a few bites at a time. Levi seemed fine with his cooking, so the food wasn't the problem. He just needed five minutes to himself, and that was what he was going to take.

Having run out of meat supplies, Eren woke early. Shifting into his wolf form, he crept through the house, and out the door before Levi could call out to him. Part of him felt bad for just leaving the man, but Levi could reach everything he needed to, so Eren ran. Having spent so close to nature, he knew all the smells off by heart. Today he was hunting rabbit and he couldn't have been prouder as he found his first kill. The feel of his body as his feet thudded against the soft forest floor until finally he caught it in his teeth, making sure to snap the neck cleanly so the poor thing didn't suffer. It was easier than he'd expected, but the fact he was actually providing for Levi gave him a small thrill. The second rabbit was harder as it darted under logs he couldn't follow and the third rabbit he'd chased into a cobweb filled hollowed treebase, but three rabbit all caught by his own skill, he felt invincible. And also exhausted. He'd pushed much further away from the house than he'd intended, so by the time he finally stumbled through the front door with the rabbits hanging from his mouth, he just wanted to sleep. On shaky feet, he padded into the kitchen to find Levi already awake. The man taking one look at him, before losing his temper  
"What are you bringing those filthy things inside for?! Take them back out and gut them properly. Honestly, Eren. You should know better by now"  
It hurt. His happiness snuffed out in an instant. He'd thought Levi would be proud of him. He'd wanted him to be proud of him. Laying the rabbits down, he shifted back. Bending down to pick up the small animals as he ignored the way his head swam. His body felt stupidly hot and his nose was all stuff. Oh fuck. Dropping the rabbit, he span to the sink, heaving up the sad remnants of the previous nights dinner  
"Oi, brat!"  
Fat tears rolled down his ashen face. His whole body trembling as if he was freezing. Gagging as his body tried to vomit again, he slumped against the sink  
"Eren!"  
Collapsing to the floor, he couldn't move. He was just so tired. He could tell Levi was still yelling at him, but he couldn't keep his eyes open.

 

*  
Levi's heart was racing. First Eren had disappeared without telling him he was going, then the kid had carried in the three rabbits like it made up for it, and finally the brat had started vomiting. He was still processing all of this, when Eren suddenly collapsed. Watching the kid twitch and shake on the floor, he was taken back by how sick Eren actually looked. Deep bags hung under his eyes. His plump lips were dry and cracked, and the smell coming off of him was screaming that the kid needed help. The only problem was the fact his back was still fucked. He'd healed since being out here, but the lack of progress made everything frustrating, and he knew he was taking mood out on Eren. If he'd been the teen, he would have left him long ago. But Eren wasn't him. The kid had stayed by side, helping him too and from the bathroom. Helping him bathe and making sure he had everything he needed. Even when he couldn't even remember what was happening. He'd never been this out of control before... except for maybe during puberty, and he could understand why Erwin had sent him out here with Eren. They were both monsters that needed a babysitter. He was Eren's, just as much as Eren was currently his.

Cursing in pain, his back was still barely holding together, but he couldn't leave Eren laying on the floor. The kid looked to have a fever, and while he couldn't manage the stairs, he could at least move him to the couch in the living room. Biting his lip, Levi kicked the rabbits out the way, before squatting down to lift Eren. The brat had definitely lost weight. Just how much stress had he put the boy under? He knew they barely talked outside of cleaning, or the small talk Eren made over dinner... and the toll from having to look after him when he was less than sane. It was a cruel burden to place on the kid's shoulders. Unable to get Eren all the way off the floor, Levi was forced to drag him to the chair, less than graceful as he pushed him into it. He could feel the strain on his spine, undoing the weeks of progress one millimetre at a time. He probably wouldn't be much help once he got the kid onto the couch... but one step at a time.

Eren woke slightly as Levi settled him on the couch, the teens long eyelashes fluttering as Levi pushed his fringe out of the way  
"S-sir?"  
"You're alright. You have a fever"  
"Sorry, sir"  
Was this kid seriously apologising to him?  
"I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't notice that you were sick"  
"'s ok"  
"It's not ok. I'm sorry you're the one who's stuck here with me. I've been arsehole"  
"Maybe a little, but it's ok. It's all ok... as long as you get better, that's all I care about"  
Mumbling his sentence, Eren fell back to sleep while Levi was stunned. It wasn't ok at all. Eren deserved to be mad. To yell at him for the way he'd acted, instead he'd given him such a sweet smile before falling back to sleep. He was too trusting. He was literally with a half vampire who'd been half out his mind in pain and hunger from healing. Now he was just laying there, that same smile on his lips. 

Wheeling himself into the kitchen, Levi was determined to do something to repay Eren and seeing Eren had pushed himself so hard to find rabbits for them he set to work. By lunch the kitchen was cleaned, or at least everything he could clean without aggravating his back further. On the stove, a pot of rabbit stew was slowly cooking, while he'd also made fresh bread for them both. Eren had the basic cooking skills down, and he'd tried his hardest to make meals he thought Levi would like, though they didn't always turn out. On those nights, they'd eat bread, often hard after sitting out all day. Now their were three fresh loaves on the table, beside which sat the butter. It wasn't a huge or overly complex meal, but something inside him was proud that he could provide for Eren. All he needed was for Eren to wake up, so he could apologise again.

It was late in the afternoon by the time that happened. Levi had spent the majority of the day in the kitchen so he wouldn't disturb the boy. Rubbing his eyes as he stumbled into the kitchen, the kid's scent had changed again. It wasn't his normal scent, and it wasn't his original scent. A hint of sweetness carried into the space, while Eren stared at the sight in front of him  
"Sir?"  
"I made dinner"  
"I can see that, sir... Why didn't you wake me up?"  
"Come sit down"  
Padding lightly over to the kitchen table, Eren sank down. His eyes still wide and his bed head was impressive  
"I'm sorry I couldn't help"  
"Eren. That's enough. I can see it on your face, and I want to say I'm sorry. I had no idea you were sick, and I've been both hard and unfair on you. Taking out my own frustrations, when I know you're doing all you can. You collapsed because I wasn't paying attention to you, like I should be"  
"You're the one who's supposed to be healing, not me..."  
"You're exhausted. You collapsed from exhaustion. That is on me. You worked hard to catch those rabbits and I was rude"  
"I... sir..."  
"I'll serve dinner"  
"I can do it"  
"You still don't look well"  
Looking to his lap, Eren nodded  
"I'm sorry. I think... I think my heat's starting"  
Forcing himself to remain calm, Levi retrieved the pot from the stove  
"Your heat?"  
"I think so. I didn't feel it this morning. It felt like a cold, but when I woke up... I'm sorry. It's my fault"  
"You can't control your heat"  
"But it affects you"  
"For now, you need to eat. We'll save the talk about your heat for after dinner, or is it going to hit sooner than that?"  
"I don't think so"  
"Good"

With stew ladled into both bows and the loaf bread sliced into thick pieces, dinner was quiet. The kid look genuinely shocked by his cooking, and actually made quick work on it. The smile on his face didn't waver, though it was kind of ruined by the tears rolling down Eren's face   
"Is something wrong?"  
"No, sir. This tastes amazing"  
"You're crying"  
"Oh. It's nothing"  
"Eren, you can tell me. If I've done something, I need to know"  
"It's just my heat, sir"  
"Eren, call me Levi. And is it starting to hurt?"  
"It alway hurts. I'm just sorry you're stuck here with me. I can go. Into the forest if you'd prefer"  
"I'm not going to kick you out because of your heat"  
"But it's gross and messy"  
"And it's something you can't control"  
"I just don't want to inconvenience you any more than I have"  
"You're... you're not inconveniencing me"  
"I might not be able to control myself"  
"Would you like to spend your heat with me?"  
Eren looked like he was about to keel over on the spot, the boy barely stuttering out his reply  
"With you, sir?"  
"I understand if you would rather not"  
"I... this is just... I don't understand why would you ask"  
"Because I hate seeing you hurting. You. You mean a lot to me"  
"That... what..."  
Eren knew he wasn't good with words. So why wasn't he just jumping at the chance  
"I want to spend your heat with you, if you'll let me"  
"I don't want to hurt you"  
"You're not going to"  
"You don't know that. It's because Jean and I had a stupid right that you got hurt. I was so scared. I thought you were going to die"  
"I didn't die"

Pushing his chair back, Eren shook as he started to cry. The scent now infinity stronger. He was close and smelt so good. Levi couldn't help but respond, pushing himself out of the chair and shuffling to Eren   
"Talk to me, brat?"  
"I... I know it's wrong, but I like you. I like you so much. I prayed and I begged that you'd wake up... I was so scared I'd lost you forever"  
Wrapping his arms around Eren, the boy first tensed before slowly returning the embrace   
"I'm sorry"  
"Eren, you don't need to be sorry"  
"But I like you"  
"And I like you too"  
He cringed at his fumbled words, feeling like a shitty idiot  
"You do?"  
"I do. And I would like to spend your heat with you. I'm tired of fighting and denying this"  
"P-please... Levi, It hurts"  
Kissing Eren's temple, he nodded as he whispered  
"Alright. Let's head upstairs"  
"Will you be ok?"  
"With a little help"

 

*  
Eren was grinding up against him by the time they made into the room he'd been using. Guiding the teen back to his bed, Eren flipped them around at the last second, before pushing him down and straddling his lap. With a clumsy urgency, the teens lips found his. The kiss awkward and hungry, broken by Eren whimpering as he rolled his hips   
"Just go slow on this old man"  
"You're not old"  
"It's been a while, and I might not be able to give you what you need"  
"All I need is you"  
Eren didn't even hesitate as he answered. Levi was struggling hard enough to remain calm, especially when Eren was saying shit like this  
"Take your clothes off for me"  
Eren nodded, sliding from his lap. As Levi fumbled his way out of his clothes against his protesting back. Eren practically tore his off. Standing in the light, the teens firm body was beautiful. His rich caramel skin, his taunt stomach and abs, the way his penis was already oozing precum, bowed as it jutted out proudly. With a possessive growl, Levi moved back on the bed, beckoning Eren over with his finger. Climbing back onto the bed, Eren's eyes roamed down his chest, before finally fixing on Levi's own erection   
"Like what you see?"  
"Mmm..."  
"Then are you going to come closer?"  
Blushing slightly, Eren moved to straddle his lap again, the teen sopping wet with slick as he pushed another awkward kiss to Levi's lips. He was actually doing this. He was kissing Eren and it felt amazing. Urging the kiss deeper, Eren's hand closed around their erections, jerking them both slowly. He'd thought Eren would be a blushing mess, but his heat had given him a sexual confidence that had Levi wanting to slam him into the mattress and fuck him so hard that the kid couldn't walk straight for a year. Breaking the kiss, Eren's head rolled back as he let out another sinful moan  
"Eren..."  
"I'm so close"  
Pulling Eren's hand away, he received a disappointed groan   
"We don't be need to rush"  
"It doesn't work like that"  
"How does it work?"  
"It comes in waves. They get more and more painful until I'm practically screaming from the pain"  
"I didn't know"  
"I know. Right now, my instincts are going crazy. My heart's racing and I still can't believe this happening... but it hurts"  
"And sex will help that?"  
Eren bit his lip, his eyes brimming with tears   
"I'm sorry"  
"You don't need to apologise"  
"It's really dirty"  
"You've said. I just want this to... go right. I don't want you hurt any more than you have to be"  
"You won't hurt me"  
"Even I know you need to be prepared"  
Finally that blush bloomed. Eren running his tongue over his lips as his eyes roamed down his body   
"Come here"

Leaning back down to kiss him, Levi's hands ghosted up the Eren's soft thighs. If the kid thought his heart was racing, he had no idea what he was doing to his own. Moving to cup Eren's arse, he massaged the curve slightly, enjoying the way Eren pushed back against his palms. This adorable and frustrating creature was finally his. Determined to make him feel good, his fingers slowly slipped to Eren's opening, teasing the soaking entrance with his thumb, before slowing pushing in. Thanks to his body, Eren was already loosening up for him, his slick making it ease to continue to tease the boy as the kissed. Fuck, how he wished he could mount Eren from behind. How sweetly he'd moan as nipped along his shoulder blades, before finally sinking his teeth in. His throbbing erection ached to spend it's self inside the brat, in the worst of ways, over and over. Pulling back from the kiss, Eren started rocking hard against his hand, the kid mewing and whining as his pace increased. He didn't really understand how Eren's heat truely worked, but he wasn't going to risk making him feel awkward over it, so slid another finger inside  
"M-more"  
"You want more?"  
Raising his head, Eren stared into his eyes. His eyes lidded with lust, while all traces of blue were erased by black. Nodding, Eren whimpered and Levi moving his hand, thrusting against Eren's rhythm as his free hand wrapped around the teens erection. Throwing his head back, Eren gasped as he came across Levi's stomach and chest. Shit. Levi just about came from the sight alone. Pulling his fingers out and releasing Eren's dick, his hands moved to Eren's hips, waiting for Eren to catch his breath, teasing him lightly   
"Will you ride me?"  
"Mmm alpha..."  
Leaning back down to kiss him, Eren pulled his hands off his hips and intertwined their fingers as he pinned his hands to the bed. Sitting up with a cheeky smile, Levi let him grind against him, before the omega finally pushed against his erection, once the tip was inside, Levi thrust his hips up, taking Eren by surprise. He might have been a bit too hasty, Eren was so wet and loose for him, yet the silky walls and the wet heat rippling around him was deliciously tight, trying to draw him deeper as they both moaned  
"Ah! Levi..."  
"Are you alright?"  
"Feels good"  
"Let me know if it hurts"  
Nodding, his now black eyed brat slowly rose, before dropping back down into his lap. His back protested the movement, but it felt so fucking good. He'd never be this open with any of his past lovers, not that were really all that many, but with Eren, he wanted to give him everything. Letting Eren control the rhythm and speed, it was clear Eren didn't know slow and gentle. The sound of wet skin hitting wet skin was drowned out by the lewd moans pouring from both of them. He didn't want this to end  
"Levi... Levi, gonna come..."  
"Show me"  
Nodding, Eren clenched hard around him, pulling his own orgasm from his as his dick seemed to swell and catch. Coming just as hard as Eren did, he caught his lover as he slumped forward, guiding him down so his head was against his chest. A deep rumbling was coming from the teen, while Levi felt like his seed was still pulsing into the teen. He'd never felt an orgasm like it before, and the sensation was akin to being drunk. Licking his lip, his chest heaved as tried to gather some moisture into his mouth  
"Eren, are you alright"  
Nuzzling against him, Eren moved his lips to his neck, Levi yelping in shock when the brat bit down near his nape  
"What the shit?"  
"I don't know... feels so happy and so good"  
"So you fucking bit me?"  
"It felt natural, don't you feel good too?"  
Levi wasn't sure he could actually feel any better than how he did right now. Even the pain in his back was forgotten under Eren's heat, and buried in his warmth. Raising himself, Eren tilted his neck, exposing the same place he'd just bitten Levi  
"Brat?"  
"Please?"  
"You want me to bite you?"  
"Mmm"  
"I could hurt you?"  
"You won't"  
"Eren"  
"Please. You need to feed before my next heat wave. Please, Levi"  
He couldn't say no to pout on Eren's lips, or the look on his face. Using the teen to pull himself up, his fangs brushed the teens perfect skin  
"Levi, it's ok"  
Biting down slowly, Eren's blood rushed to fill his mouth. Levi swore he came against as he drank it down. He hadn't wanted Eren's blood when he been out of his mind, he knew the effectiveness of it all too well, but now he was here with Eren in his arms... he needed his strength to protect him, and to help him through his heat. Drinking deeply, he savoured every drop of the freely offered blood. Once sated, he lapped at the wound as Eren let the same rumble sound out as before  
"Are you purring?"  
"Wolves don't purr"  
"Then what are you doing?"  
"I'm happy. I can't control it"  
"Alright. As long as you're happy"  
"You have no idea"

Tucking Eren safely into his hold, the pair were now covered by the blanket Eren had pulled up. Despite his desire to be clean, he didn't want to disturb Eren, but more importantly, he didn't want to wash his scent off the brat. After months of agonising over these feelings he shouldn't have, Eren admitted to feeling the same. And while he might not be able to give him a child, he could still help him through his heat and be there for him through everything. With a smile on his lips, he closed his eyes, letting the sound of Eren's huffy snores lull him to sleep.

 

*  
Eren's heat was an experience. He still couldn't believe he was actually sleeping his Levi. His crush and his partner. His hero... who was now his mate. Having someone special to share his heat with eased the pain, brought him longer periods of clarity and being able to feed Levi, meant the man was healing faster. He was proud to heal his alpha. Thought he wasn't completely innocent in his actions, with Levi's back healed enough that he could move freely, it'd opened a whole other world of positions for them to explore... and they'd definitely done that. Levi pinning him to the bed, mounting from him behind, slamming into him over and over until his arms gave out and his mind went blank with pleasure.

Rolling in Levi's hold, Eren blushed shyly as his eyes met Levi's. The man had been the perfect mate, insisting on looking after him in every single way he could   
"Hey, brat"  
"Good morning, s-Levi"  
"You were about to call me "sir", weren't you"  
"Maybe. How do you feel?"  
"I'm not the one going through a heat"  
"No, but you look exhausted. How is your back feeling?"  
"Better. Enough to give you what you want"  
"Mmm, in that case, you should come over here"  
Levi smirked, nudging him back as lips came to his  
"You stink brat, we're taking a bath after this"  
"Or we could continue this in the bath"  
"I don't think you wait that long"  
Climbing between his legs, Eren let them drop open, presenting himself completely for Levi. Nipping his way down Eren's inner thigh, the man let out a growl as he buried his face in Eren's thin splattering of pubes  
"Fuck you smell good down here"  
Drawing back, his partner kissed the scent glands between his legs, before lapping at the oily discharge  
"You're so fucking filthy, Yeager"  
"Y-yes sir"  
"Filled with my cum..."  
Biting the gland, Eren let out a managed cry, his hands flying to Levi's hair. The heat in his belly bubbling as his cramping started  
"Le-Levi..."  
"So needy for me"  
"It's... it's starting"  
"Shhhh, I've got you"  
Sliding his hands up his body, Levi's bloodied lips pressed against his, the man's erection dragging against his lower stomach   
"Shitty brat. Do you know how beautiful you are?"  
He'd never thought he'd hear words like beautiful from Levi's lips, and it never failed to shut him up  
"I'm asking you a question"  
"'m not beautiful"  
"You are"  
Kissing his way back down, Levi's hands gripped his hips as his mate teased his abused opening with the blunt tip of his weeping dick. Whimpering with need, Eren tried to push down, but Levi hurled him up, changing positions before he grasp what was happening. Now sitting in the man's lap, Eren sank down with happy groan. He didn't know how describe it, but it felt like Levi was made for him. The stretch and burn felt incredible, while his arse was throbbing in time with his heart. Burying his head against his alpha's neck, Eren nuzzled into the soft skin as he started to roll his hips. He liked being like this with Levi. He liked sitting in the man's lap and taking it slow... he also loved being pounded into like there was no tomorrow, but this was nice. It was soft and sweet as they traded soft kisses, to him it didn't feel like just sex, it felt like so much more. His eyes filling with stupid tears  
"Brat, are you crying?"  
Nodding again, Eren rested his forehead against Levi's, his hands still in the man's hair   
"I can't help it, Levi"  
"It's ok. You haven't done anything wrong"  
He would have preferred Levi not mention his tears, but every time his hormones got the better of him, the man always asked if he was ok, before reassuring him that he'd done nothing wrong. Growing sloppy with his impending orgasm, Levi took over, thrusting up while Eren held himself in place. He was exhausted already, but Levi wouldn't let him suffer. With half a dozen hard upward thrusts, Eren's orgasm finally hit, his arse stretching to accommodate the swelling of Levi's dick. The ridges and bumps catching inside and trapping them together. Every time it happened, he was flooded with a rush of love for the man, and the feeling everything was going to be ok. Pressing gentle kisses to his temple, Levi's hands moved from his hips. One to his lower back as the other moved to rub between his shoulder blades  
"Feeling better?"  
"Mmm, thank you"  
"Are you thanking me for sex?"  
"Maybe... and for not leaving me alone"  
"If I'd known how painful this was, I never would have left you to deal with your heats alone"  
"It's better now. Better with you"  
Nipping at his neck, Eren nodded his permission for Levi to feed. He loved the feeling feedings brought. It wasn't just pain like there had been in the hospital, there was feeling of trust and he had to admit it made him horny as hell. Levi had been careful with his feeding, he'd only lost control once since they'd fallen into bed together, but the man had been so apologetic that it'd hurt to hear. Whining Eren ground against Levi, his hand sliding to his trapped dick, jerking himself as Levi fed. Between his heat and the feeling coursing through his blood, Eren was soon coming again, Levi waiting until he'd rode out his orgasm before pulling his fangs from the teen's neck   
"Really?"  
"I can't help it, when you feed on me, I get horny"  
"You're a strange one"  
"You don't get to drink me blood and call me strange"  
"I don't?"  
"No. Just like I refuse to let you feed from anyone else"  
"Eren, you can't feed me for the rest of my life"  
"I can. You're mine and I can. I don't like the idea of other people getting horny over you"  
"Brat. You are literally the only one"  
"I don't want to share you"  
"You're not sharing me with anyone. We both need a bath"  
"Can we stay like this a little longer?"  
"Did I drink too much?"  
"No. I just don't want to let you"  
"You're such a brat"  
"I'm your brat, right?"  
"Yes, Eren. You're my brat"

Levi waited until the barbs of his penis deflated before pulling out of him. His alpha could carry him and throw him around a little, but Eren didn't want to push his mate's body too far. He knew Levi wasn't completely healed, or as healed as he made out he was, so he kept a close hold on Levi as they shuffled to the bathroom. The teen was practically asleep on his feet, but he wanted to be cleaner. He wanted to look good for his mate, but covered in his own fluids he felt dirty. Climbing into the bathtub, the cranked the rusty taps to full, letting the rust run free before plugging the bath  
"Is the water still hot?"  
"Yeah... I built up the stone wall under the water tank so we could keep the fire going for longer"  
"When did you do that?"  
"While you were recovering. I tried gardening with the vegetable scraps, but I don't know how that worked out..."  
"You've been busy"  
"I wanted to make sure I could look after you properly"  
"I should have been looking after you"  
"No, you've been sick"  
"And you went into heat, because I didn't see how you were suffering"  
"It was worth it, to see you better"  
Behind him, Levi wrapped his legs around Eren's waist, forcing the teen back against him. Threading his fingers thought his hair, his alpha nuzzled against his tender scent gland  
"Your smells changed again"  
"I didn't notice. Is it bad? All I can smell is you"  
"Mmm, I'm not going to complain about that. And no, not bad. I think your heat my be coming to and end"  
"How many days has it been?"  
"5"  
"We should have a day and half left... it usually goes for around 7 days"  
"Is there anything you want to do once your heat ends?"  
"Sleep. I'm so tired"  
Levi didn't even tease him for it, instead softly promising to look after him. 

 

*  
Waking to find their bed devoid of Eren, Levi snarled in worry. Eren was weak and recovering, he shouldn't be up and wandering around. Climbing from their bed, he snagged his pants off floor, not minding the fact he was yet to bathe. He was more concerned with Eren's welfare. If the boy had gotten himself hurt, he'd never forgive him. He would, but he'd pissed. 

Heading downstairs, he didn't have to go far. Wearing just his shirt, Eren was washing the small amount of dishes from the breakfast he'd made. The sight was mouth watering. Cum and slick had run down the side of Eren's thighs, the omega's sweetness strong enough to indicate he was going through another wave. Striding up behind him, Levi wrapped his arms around his brat  
"What are you doing?"  
"I was making breakfast"  
"Making breakfast?"  
"I wanted to make breakfast in bed for us"  
He couldn't be mad at Eren for this. Not when he was thinking for both of them  
"Your heatwaves hit, hasn't it"  
"I was coming up when I was done"  
"Leave the dishes for now"  
Rutting hard against Eren, Levi was grateful he'd left his pants undone. Letting them drop around his ankles, he roughly grabbed Eren's hips and pulled back, bending him over the counter before shoving into the omegas heat. Fucking Eren as hard as he could, the omega's fingers scrambled to find some kind of purchase, his hand slipping into the sink as his other hand found the wall. It was hard and fast, Eren coming down the front of the cupboard with a groan, grasping his leaking erection, the alpha milked every drop from Eren, until his knot popped and Eren came again with a small pulse over his hand. Guiding Eren backwards, Levi sank down into the closest kitchen chair, Eren slumping back against him. The teen's long legs shamelessly spread. It would have been perfect if not for Eren's bleeding hand. Grabbing the tea towel off the table, Levi took Eren's hand in his, before remembering it was covered in semen. Wiping the come on the side of Eren's shirt, he took Eren's hand again  
"What happened?"  
"I think I broke a plate"  
"And you didn't think to tell me to stop?"  
"No. It felt too good"  
"You were asking for it. Dressed like that, it's like you begging me to find you"  
"Maybe... just a little"  
"You cheeky shit"  
"Can you blame me? You make me feel so good"  
"You're not supposed to be getting hurt"  
"It's alright. I've already healed"  
Pulling their hands up, Eren showed him that it had  
"You're really amazing"  
"You're kind of amazing too. No one else would recover from a broken back like you"  
"It's taken two months, and it still isn't right"  
"So? You'll be back in the field soon enough"  
"You want to go back?"  
"Of course I do. Those werewolves won't kill themselves... why? Do you not want to?"  
"It's not that I don't. I just don't know what I would do if I lost you"  
"Levi, I'm just about invincible"  
"Try saying that after I've wrecked you"  
"Is that your way of asking me "Do I want you to bend me back over that counter and to have you fuck me again?", because it is"  
"I was asking if you want to stay with me when we go back, to stay by my side, but I think we can arrange that"  
"You really want me to?"  
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't. You know I hate repeating myself"  
"I know. I just can't believe you'd actually want someone like me"  
"There's nothing wrong with you"  
"I turn into a Lycan and a wolf and I see ghosts"  
"I drink blood. We all have our... kinks"  
"Kinks?"  
Yes. Kinks. Now I'm going to bend you back over that counter until you get it into that thick head of yours, that there's nothing wrong with you"  
"We might be there for a while"  
"Is that a challenge?"  
Half turning, Eren shot him a cocky grin  
"Absolutely"  
"You're so going to get it brat"  
"Really? I'm pretty sure I've already got it"  
"Then why don't you show me?"

In the end, Eren's last day of heat was just as intense of the first. Not a single surface in the kitchen survived unscathed as they fucked like rabbits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that happened


	27. Chapter 27

Sighing to himself, Eren was nervous. Levi had finally decided he was healthy enough to return to the castle, so the dream they'd spent the last two months in was now coming to an end. He'd packed all things the night before, and now he was waiting for Levi finish bringing in the washing. Since his heat had finished, they'd barely touched, in fact, the teen was wondering if the week had even happened. Levi had returned to sleeping on the couch downstairs, while Eren was left alone in the bed that now felt too big for just him. He missed the feeling of holding him, of waking up in his arms and feeling safe. Stupid nightmares had come back, now of Levi tearing his throat out and leaving him bleeding to death with the man laughed. He didn't want to be too clingy, but he desperately wanted Levi to wrap his arms around him again. Sitting on his bed, Eren had his face in his hands. His hormones still hadn't calmed back down from his heat, so maybe it was best they were apart? If Levi saw him crying like this, he'd think he was pathetic. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't even realise the man was now in the room, a frown of worry across his thin lips. Padding lightly over to him, his partner squatted down, taking him by his hands as he pulled them from his face  
"Hey brat"  
"S-sir..."  
He couldn't stop himself. As Levi pulled his arms around him, Eren hands left his and grabbed the back of the man's jacket  
"Want to tell me what's up?"  
"I'm sorry. After a heat, I feel so upset and clingy. I know you don't like that kind of thing, so I tried to hide it"  
"You mentioned it before... I thought you wanted space because you didn't ask me to stay"  
"I thought you didn't want me anymore... I'm so stupid"  
"You're not stupid. And I still want you. It's been hard sleeping down there while you're up here"  
"Then why didn't you come up?"  
"Because I didn't want to make you feel pressured or forced"  
"It sucked! I can't even fucking sleep! I kept thinking you regretted everything!"  
Wailing against Levi's neck, the man pulled him from the bed so he had now straddling his lap  
"I don't regret it. I don't regret this. I know things are all over the place, but I made up my mind. I asked you stay with me... I never meant to hurt you"  
"I know. It's my stupid hormones. I feel like I can't calm down"  
"And me giving you space didn't help that"  
"N-no"  
"I'm here now. Things might be a little hard when we get back to the castle, but no matter what anyone says, I'll protect you"  
"I don't want to be protected. I want to be able to stand on my own two feet"  
"Oh, so you're looking forward to telling Erwin"  
Eren shot up, his eyes wide  
"We can't tell him!"  
"Why not?"  
"Because he hates me. He hates me so much"  
"He doesn't hate you"  
Oh. Right. Levi didn't know what Erwin had said to him, and to Levi, Erwin was an important friend  
"He... he doesn't like me and I don't want to make things hard. Not what you're finally going back to work"  
"Just let me handle Shitty Eyebrows. I'll make him listen"  
"I don't want him to know..."  
"Eren, there's every chance he and Hanji said us here with the intention of us getting together. You know that, don't you?"  
"I'm not so sure... Erwin, he loves you. He loves you so much. He's going to be so mad"  
"You don't need to worry about that. You're the one I want to be with. You. Even if your stubborn and hot headed, I want to see where this goes"  
"Even if I'm a monster?"  
"We're both monsters then. But it's going to be ok. You're not alone, Eren"  
"I just don't want anyone else to be upset or angry. I'm so tired of fighting and being angry"  
"I know you are. Now, what did you mean about not being able to sleep?"  
Eren's face reddened  
"Brat?"  
"I... I have nightmares"  
"I know. I've seen them up close"  
"I've been having them the last few nights"  
"What they about?"  
"You... it's stupid, but I don't feel safe"  
"Don't you trust me to protect you?"  
"How? How can you protect me from myself?"  
"I don't know, but it'll all be ok. I promise you that"  
Sniffling, Eren lowered his forehead to rest on Levi's shoulder. His mate rubbing back in soft circles  
"If you're not up for leaving today, we can go tomorrow"  
"No... I'll be ok"  
"Are you sure? We'll be wearing our full uniforms"  
"I'll be ok. I feel better now"  
"Better?"  
"I was... you make me feel better"  
"In that case, let get that filthy face of yours cleaned up"  
Snorting, the teen nodded again  
"Yeah. Just... don't be surprised if I start crying for now reason. I can't seem to stop myself"  
"I'll try my hardest not to yell at you"  
"Yelling is ok. Just ignore it. I'll be ok"  
"Oh, so you like it when I yell at you?"  
"Not all the time"  
"Shitty brat"  
Tentatively moving to kiss Levi, he was stupidly ecstatic when the man kissed him back. He knew Levi said they'd work it out, and that he'd protect him, but Levi was just one man and he was the man Erwin was in love with. He didn't see their commander openly accepting a relationship like this, neither would the Government... being with Levi was dangerous for both of them, but fuck. He wanted to believe something would finally go right and that he'd finally be happy. He just wanted to believe Levi and let his mate protect him, just like he'd promised.

An hour later they set out. Their horses were back at the castle with Hanji, the same with the supply cart, so they making the journey by way of foot and manoeuvre gear. He'd offered to shift to a Lycan and carry Levi for as far as he could, but his partner had told him to save his strength in case they needed it. So now he was suffering miniature heart attacks each time Levi fired his anchors. He knew how much stress it had to be placing on his boyfriend's fragile spine, and couldn't wait until the reached the hour mark. Levi would have probably used his gear all the way back to the castle, but Eren had begged him to rest after the first hour. Now he was kind of wishing he'd fought for Levi to rest after the first five minutes because his heart honestly couldn't take it. Each time Levi's anchors fired, he kept seeing Levi falling to the forest floor with his body broken. He'd nearly lost Levi once and he couldn't go through that again, doubly so now that they were finally together.

Landing softly, Eren walked over to where Levi was standing. The man massaging his lower back while the grimace on his face told him his mate was hurting badly. Tugging at the backpack Levi wore, the man allowed him to slip it from his back, discarding it with his own  
"How bad is it?"  
"It's not great"  
"Do you want to feed?"  
"You can't always offer me your blood"  
"Levi, there is no one around. I can't hear anything or anyone coming. You don't need to be paranoid"  
Moving to wrap his arms around Levi, his alpha sighed  
"You don't need to be so worried"  
"Maybe. Maybe not. Here, please drink at least a little. It'll help with the damage from using our manoeuvre gear"  
Offering his wrist, Levi took his hand, turning carefully so their gear didn't tangle  
"I'm onto you. Yeager. Your horny"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren poked his tongue out  
"I'm not always horny"  
"You get pretty horny when I feed"  
"Fine, I'll cut my hand and you can feed from that. I really am just trying to make sure you're alright"  
"Relax brat. It was a joke. We're going to rest here anyway, so we might as well sit down"

It was inevitable. He really did get stupidly horny when Levi fed from him. Fucking up against a solid oak, Eren's legs were wrapped around his boyfriends waist while his back was steaming from the roughness of the tree. His shirt and jacket were... somewhere, along with gear, making it easier for Levi to feed from the crook of his neck. Melting into Levi's hold, he chanted his mates name over and over, clinging to him for dear life. Grunting, Levi's knot unexpectedly flared. Usually his mate made him come before his knot popped, but this time Eren's orgasm hit hard, his cum splattering between their stomach, where his erection was trapped. Gasping for breath, his fingers tore at Levi's back. He couldn't help himself. He really was a slut for his mates dick. Kissing the side of Levi's head, his boyfriends fangs slid from his shoulder, before Levi lapped at the area like he always did  
"You ok?"  
"I'm wrecked. Your dick wrecked my arse"  
"But are you ok?"  
"I'm all kinds of ok"  
"We need to clean up"  
"Nah. I was thinking we could just stay like this"  
"Brat, I can't take you back to the castle while you're covered in your own cum"  
"Shouldn't you be more concerned by the fact I'm so full of yours? I'm going to be walking around, while full of you"  
Growling, Levi's lips smashed into his, the kiss possessive and aggressive, and over all too soon  
"Unless you want me to wreck your shitty arse even further, you better stop talking like that"  
"Maybe I want you to"  
"Can you at least wait until we get home? Then I'll make you scream for the whole castle to hear"  
"As much as I like the sound of that, I don't think it'll go over well"  
"Fuck'em"  
"I'd rather fuck you"  
Levi snorted, his hands moving to support him by the arse as Eren looped his arms around Levi's neck. Carrying him over to their gear, his alpha awkwardly lowered them so Eren ended up with his back against the ground  
"How the fuck did I end up with you?"  
"I ask myself that every day"  
"Shitty brat"  
"My grumpy Captain. No. My grumpy alpha"  
"Why do you call me alpha? Omega's don't usually have packs, do they?"  
"If you were a wolf, you'd be leader of the pack. You'd be the alpha. You're definitely fierce and powerful enough. Do you not like me calling you "alpha"?"  
"Only if I can call you omega"  
"Mmm. I like it. I'm your omega and you're my alpha"  
Rocking his hips up against him, Eren mewed as Levi's barbs jostled  
"You like that? You like me being inside of you like this?"  
"It feels amazing"  
"I guess you deserve some reward for this blood of yours"

Eren could barely walk straight for the rest of the trip home. His arse throbbed like crazy, but it was such a good feeling. And holding Levi's hand only made everything better  
"Brat, get that smile off your face"  
"I can't help it"  
"You look creepy"  
"You mean I look fucked. Seriously. You've wrecked my arse, and all I can think about is you fucking me all over again"  
"That's because you're a teenager. Seriously, all you need to do is sneeze and your hard"  
"I'm only hard because it's you"  
"You're hard?"  
Eren realised when he said, clamping a hand over his mouth. Levi laughing openly  
"Just try and control it until we're alone again. I don't think Arlert's going to appreciate your boner"  
The thought of his friends instantly doused the heat in his crotch. Shooting Levi a glare, he lowered his hand  
"Thanks for that"  
"You're welcome. The castle shouldn't be that much further. We should just use our gear"  
"Is your back up for that?"  
"My back is fine. How's yours?"  
"F-fine"  
"You stuttered"  
"Your dick wrecked my arse! I don't think I can use my gear right now"  
"I could carry you"  
"Or we could walk"  
"Or I could carry you"  
"You're not carrying me. I'm taller than you"  
Levi raised an eyebrow, yes, he knew his argument was pathetic  
"I'm older than you?"  
"You're recovering"  
"Thanks to your blood, I feel good. But if you want to walk..."  
"Which I do"  
"... then we'll walk"  
"Good"  
"Fine"  
"Race you back?"  
"You're on, brat!"

Both of them regretted it. Both of them landing near the front gates to the castle before stumbling. Eren hips were burning, while his pants were soaked with cum and slick. It wasn't nearly as sexy as it'd sounded  
"Who's dumb idea was that?"  
"Yours"  
"Oh... don't let me have ideas again"  
"I'll hold you to that. Are you ready?"  
"Mmm. Hey, can I have a bath in your room tonight?"  
"Our room"  
Eren was honestly confused  
"Our room?"  
"You're my partner"  
"But you don't like people in your room"  
"I don't mind, when it's you. Unless you don't want to"  
"No. I want to. I just don't know what they others will say"  
"You're really worried about that, aren't you?"  
"I... I'm not ashamed of being with you. But being with me is dangerous. And this is all so new"  
"If you don't want to share a room, that's all you have to say"  
"I do! But for now... I think maybe I want to have my own space too. Is that ok?"  
"I kind of expected you to say that"  
"Then why did you call your room, "ours"?"  
"So you knew you had the option. My door is always open to you"  
"I would say the same, but I have Armin in mind. Though, it has been two months..."  
"I'm not going to sneak in and fuck your while that coconut is sleeping across from you"  
"I never said you would..."  
"So yes. You can help yourself to my bathroom, just don't make a mess"  
"Gonna punish me?"  
"Given how much you seem to like me punishing you, I might need to come up with a new one"  
"Like what?"  
"Like making you Hanji's personal errand boy"  
Eren groaned, wrinkling his nose as they walked into the castle grounds. News of their return was already spreading  
"That's not sexy at all"  
"I know. I have to report in with Erwin"  
"That means I have to come with you. There's soooo many steps. Do you think if we just collapse here, he'll come and meet us?"  
"Probably not. He's an arsehole like that"  
"Carry me?"  
"I have to carry myself, what makes you think I can carry you?"  
Eren pouted with a huff, he honestly didn't really want to walk up all those stairs, only for it to end with Erwin. Instead, he'd rather be taking the stairs that led him back to his room, or to Levi's room, or the stairs down to Hanji's office... even the dungeon would be preferable to seeing Erwin. His stomach felt like it was twisting into knots, and that was just thinking about the man. If it was this bad already, he hated to think of what it'd be like when he actually saw him face to face.

Walking through the castle, everyone stopped and stared. Whispers erupted, some people even daring to point in their direction as they passed. Levi was just as cool and collected as always, while Eren's anxiety levels were through the roof. His throat felt tight. His lungs felt like stone, each breath barely inflating them, and with each step, it seemed to be harder to stand upright. By the time they reached the hallway to Erwin's office, his body was shaking uncontrollably, so Levi had to sit him down until he managed to calm his breathing  
"Eren, can you tell me what's going on? You smell terrified. Actually terrified. Did someone say something? Or is it Erwin?"  
"I'm scared to see him"  
"You said that before. Did something happen?"  
"N-no. I'm just scared and my throat hurts"  
"Did I take too much blood?"  
Tilting his head to look at his throat, Levi sighed softly  
"The wound's healed. I can't see anything wrong with your scent gland"  
His boyfriend next placed his palm against his forehead  
"You do feel warm, but that might just be from the fact we travelled all day to get home"  
"I'm sorry... I know I'm blowing this out of proportion, but I'm scared. I'm scared he's going to split us up. Or he's going to tell people your secret or I'm going to be sent away to the government"  
"None of that is going to happen"  
"You don't know that. It's been two months and over 4 weeks since we last saw Hanji..."  
"Eren. Once this is all over, we'll take back to my room. You can take a bath while I get us something to eat. Then we can cuddle or whatever you want to do. We just need to get through this first"  
"Can we please not tell him? Not today... I don't think I can deal with it. My head's all over the place"  
"That's obvious. I think we should probably talk to Hanji too, about how low you're feeling"  
"I'll be ok. It's exhaustion and hormones. Once I get some actual sleep, I'll be able to deal with everything better"  
"If you're not better by tomorrow, you're going to see Hanji. That's not negotiable"  
"Ok. Can we go now? Before I pass out or throw up?"  
"If you're going to hurl, can you at least aim for Erwin"  
Giving a forced huff of a laugh, Eren indulged himself by hugging Levi tightly once the man had pulled him back to his feet. Breathing in his lover's scent, his lungs finally expanded enough for him to take a real breath  
"Thank you, sir"  
"My name's Levi"  
"Yes, but were back now, and in public"  
"Then I suppose we should do our duties and debrief with Erwin"

Leaving their bags against the corridor wall, Levi knocked on Erwin's door. Their commander immediately yelling out to enter. Walking into the room, Eren found his feet were much more fascinating than he remembered  
"Levi! You're back!"  
"Yes, I am. Healed and ready to return to duty"  
Rising from his chair, Erwin gestured to the two empty ones. Tripping over his own feet, Eren barely saved himself. His face burnt with embarrassment as he took his seat  
"Everything alright there?"  
"The kids exhausted. It's a fair walk without horses"  
"Yes, I expect it is. Even with gear"  
"We limited the use of our gear in case of wolves, but we were lucky enough to encounter any"  
"Good. Good. Excellent even. So your back is healed?"  
"It is. My hunger is also back under control"  
"You gave us all quite the scare. Especially attacking Eren like you did"  
"It was his blood. It strengthens all my physical attributes and powers, so it only served to increase my hunger. We've talked about it with Hanji"  
"Yes. She informed me. She was honestly unsure as to if you would recover completely. But it truly is to see that she was wrong. You're a valued member of the Survey Corps and it would have been a bitter blow to lose you"  
"What's our cover story?"  
"Scouting. You and Eren have been on an extended mission checking the damage to the walls"  
"That sounds sufficiently dull"  
"It was either that, or send the government to personally check on you"  
"They would have ended up dead"  
"I was under the impression you were kept in chains"  
"I was. But that didn't mean I wouldn't have tried to kill them"  
Eren was enjoying pretending he didn't exist. He already wanted to punch Erwin in the face for bringing up the fact Levi had attacked him. It wasn't his partner's fault he couldn't control himself. Everyone knew it wasn't.

"Now, Eren. How are you doing? Have you had any problems looking after Levi? Or any heat related issues since your last round of treatment?"  
Treatment. He'd hardly call it treatment  
"The brat hasn't. He was too busy taking care of me and cleaning to do much of anything else"  
"I'm fine, sir. There are no scars or signs that would indicate what happened with Captain Levi"  
"What happened with Levi?"  
"I mean... when he attacked me sir. There are no signs of it"  
"Excellent. Eren, why don't you head down and have Hanji give you a full examination"  
"Let the kid rest, we've only just returned"  
"Yes, but we are now three months behind in his experiments and the government are going to want those results as soon as possible"  
"At least let him shower and change. He fucking stinks"  
"It's fine, sir. Would you like me to drop your back off to your room while on my way?"  
"That's an excellent idea Eren"  
Erwin could take his overgrown eyebrows and stick them up his arse. He didn't even give two shits about him, and if Eren had to bet money on it, he'd bet that Erwin's eyes hadn't left Levi the whole time they'd been in the man's room. Forcing a half hearted salute, he fled Erwin's office.

Disregarding Erwin's order to head straight down to Hanji, Eren stole a quick shower in Levi's bathroom. If he had to have a full examination, he didn't want Hanji to see the evidence of him and Levi being together. Scrubbing himself red raw, he also cleaned himself out the best he could. Hopefully any cum that remained he could claim was slick. Regretfully, he changed in Levi's room, hating how he no longer smelt of Levi, and hating how empty he felt now that he was clean. His stupid eyes even watered with tears of loss. Levi hadn't left him. The man was perfectly fine. He was just talking to Erwin and he'd see him once they were done. That was all these was to it. 

Walking down to Hanji's office, the woman screamed when opened the door, practically scrambling over her desk to sweep him into her arms  
"You've gotten taller!"  
"It's nice to see you too, Hanji"  
"My cute little wolf! When did you get back? Why didn't you come and see me?!"  
"Hanji, we've been back for like half an hour. Levi's up with Erwin, while I got kicked out"  
"Levi's back? He's ok?"  
"He's up and walking"  
"Oh my gosh! That's great news! He was making so little progress, I feared he wouldn't be able to ever bounce back"  
"His back's still a bit sore, and he over did it on his manoeuvre gear, but we tried my blood and it seemed to accelerate his healing"  
"He drank your blood?!"  
"I think he felt bad for not being able to help out more. I ended up collapsing, so I may have guilted him into it"  
"You collapsed? My poor baby. How do feel now?"  
"I'm alright. My throat's sore, but Levi said my glands look ok. Erwin ordered a full physical, and he wants you start on the government experiments right away"  
"Well that's not going to happen. You're exhausted and it would ruin all my results. No. I'll give you a physical, but then you're going straight to bed. I want you to get at least 8 hours sleep because I know how hard you worked to look after Levi"  
"It got better once he started moving around again"  
"Eren, I know how much of an arsehole Levi can when he's sick. It's only ever happened once before, but it's not something I want to think about, or remember... now, come sit down for me. I'm so happy you're back!"

Poking and prodding, Hanji forced him down to his boxer briefs, so it was relief that'd taken the time to clean up. He wanted to tell her about him and Levi, but lied and said he hadn't gone through his heat. He'd begged Levi not to tell Erwin, so it would have been wrong to tell Hanji. Taking samples from his scent glands, and samples of his blood. He finally let him get dressed again, sending him off to his quarters with a kiss to the forehead. After Erwin, he had to admit that Hanji's craziness made him feel better. To actually have someone who missed him, and worried about him... he was kind of stupidly happy. Pausing to check Levi's room on the way to his, he found it empty. His happiness deflating slightly, but the promise of cuddles and clinging helped perk him back up. Finally reaching his own room, he found Armin's bed neatly made. It didn't look like it'd been slept in for days, and his friends scene was weak. Kind of disappointed, but mostly relieved, Eren collapsed onto his own bed. His face smooshed against his pillow as he fought his way out of his boots and pants. Now that he's finally back in his own bed, he can barely keep his eyes open, and despite how hard he struggles to stay awake, he falls asleep while still waiting for Levi.

Instead of being woken by his alpha, Eren's woken by Mikasa screaming his name in almost the exact same manner Hanji had. Groaning as he's forced to roll over, he finds Mikasa and Armin both sitting on his bed. Maria have mercy on his soul, he doesn't have the energy for this  
"Eren, where have you been? You've been gone for months! Don't you know how worried we were?!"  
"I'm fine Mikasa. Just tired..."  
"Don't you give me that. You look awful. Have you been eating? And why didn't you come and find us?!"  
"Yes, I've been eating. I've been on a mission with Captain Levi. Erwin sent us to check the walls. Probably so Levi didn't murder Jean for crashing into him. And did I mention I'm exhausted?"  
"You disappeared... we thought we'd lost you"  
"Mikasa, I was on a mission. You can tone it down"  
"Tone it down! I thought you were dead!"  
Groaning again, Eren grabbed his pillow and shoved it over his head  
"Either quieten down or leave"  
"Not until you tell us everything"  
"Can't this wait? I missed you guys, but I'm tired"  
Pulling the pillow away, Mikasa stared down at him  
"Eren, did something happen?"  
"No, why?"  
"You're acting differently"  
"Probably because I just spent the whole day travelling home and I'm tired. Then I had a meeting with Erwin, before a check up from Hanji. She ordered me to sleep and that's kind of all I want to do"  
"Fine! I see how it is!"  
Jumping off his bed, Mikasa stormed from the room. Eren letting out his third groan  
"Fuck"  
"She'll calm down. She's just been super worried about you"  
"It's not my fault I was away for so long. It's not like I wanted to be, and you guys were sleeping when I left"  
"I know. I also know you weren't checking the wall. You were looking after Captain Levi, weren't you?"  
"Who told you that?"  
"It's kind of obvious. First he's hurt during training, then you both disappeared"  
"You can't tell anyone. The Corps needs Levi here"  
"I won't, but are you ok? He can be kind of scary"  
"I'm fine Armin. He was scary for the first month, but Hanji was checking in with us. He hurt his back, but he's ok now"  
"I don't think I could have done it"  
"Probably not. I don't think I've cleaned as much in my whole life as I did in the last two months. I feel like I could sleep for a year"  
"As long as you're ok"  
"I am. And I did missed you guys, I'm just so tired, and Mikasa's voice is so loud"  
"You've for that right. At least I can move back in now that you're back"  
"Aw. Did you miss my snoring"  
"More like Jean and Connie still won't let me read at night"  
"That's nice. Feeling the love, bro"  
"I missed you. I'll let you get some sleep and I'll talk to Mikasa"  
"Thanks, Armin. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, right?"  
"Sounds good"  
Armin patted his leg before leaving him. 

Retrieving his pillow from his side, Eren's head had only just touched it when there was a knock on his door  
"What?!"  
Opening the door, Levi was standing there with a smirk  
"Hello to you too, brat. What's wrong?"  
"No one wants to let me sleep"  
Closing the door behind him, there was a click as the lock was engaged. Walking over to his bed, Levi sat on the edge  
"Does that mean you don't want me to stay?"  
"Will you let me sleep? Because I'm fucked"  
"I'll let you sleep"  
"Then you can stay"  
Snorting, his boyfriend went about pulling his boots off. His wet hair was still dripping, giving him the impression Levi had gotten out the shower and come straight to see him. Lifting the side of the blankets so Levi could join him, Eren curled into him immediately, leaving his pillow for Levi to use  
"Are you ok?"  
"Mmmm, just sleepy"  
"Get some sleep then"  
"I'm trying to"  
"Shitty brat"  
Mumbling something that even he couldn't make out, Eren was more than happy to fall back to sleep with Levi in his hold, his boyfriend pressing kisses to the top of his head as he did.

 

*  
The following morning, Eren woke to find Levi already awake. The alpha having left the room to retrieve his work, and had taken over Armin's bed in an effort to get it done. Letting out a weak whine, Levi looked to him  
"Hey brat, enjoy your nap?"  
Whining again, he reached towards his boyfriend, his throat tender as fuck. Abandoning his paperwork, Levi slipped from the bed, padding across the small distance, before sitting down next to him. Placing his calloused palm against his forehead, Levi frowned  
"You feel warm, and your neck's oozing"  
"Hanji took samples yesterday"  
The frown on his boyfriends face turn to a disgusted scowl as he sighed  
"She should know better by now. Every time she touches your glands, you always have a negative reaction"  
"Mmm, it's ok. My throat will be ok. I feel like I slept for ages"  
"Through the afternoon, and into the morning. Armin's already been to check on you"  
"He did? But... what did you say about being here? I mean, you didn't tell him..."  
Coughing, he nuzzled into Levi's hand  
"No, I didn't tell him. I said I was keeping an eye on you because Hanji needs you for experiments and there was no way I was letting you sleep in my bed"  
"Mmm. That's ok then. Did you get much work done?"  
"Most of it. Erwin's sending me on a trip up to the Capital in a couple of days. Apparently he needs documents delivered urgently, but he can't trust any of the other shitty members to deliver them"  
"You're going?"  
"It'll only be for a week or so"  
A week seemed like a lifetime. His urge to pull Levi down and have him soothe his pain away with the endless pleasure only his mate could bring was strong, but with all Hanji's tests, he couldn't risk it. He also knew that this time with Levi was precious. They couldn't be this open again once they left this room. He'd go back to his classes and training, while Levi went back to his duties as a Squad Leader. So he wanted to cling. He wanted to cling to Levi and never let him go. Instead, all he could do was nuzzle against his hand as he let out another whine  
"You'll be fine. Hanji will be taking over your care, and with everything she has planned, you probably won't even have time to miss me"  
"I'll still miss you"  
"We have a little time before we need to get you to Hanji, are you up for breakfast?"  
"Yeah... not too much though"  
"You need to eat"  
"My glands are really tender"  
"That's even more reason to eat. I know you heal fast, but you still need to take care of yourself"  
Eren snorted, finally pushing himself up so he could rest his head on Levi's shoulder  
"Who would have thought you had such a soft side?"  
"It's only for you. And if you tell anyone, I'll kick your arse"  
"That's my big bad alpha"  
"You're still a brat"  
"Mmm. I know things are going to change, but I'm still happy to be with you"  
"Alright, that's enough sappy shit for now. Get dressed while I organise these papers"

Breakfast was cold oatmeal that Eren barely managed to choke down. It wasn't exactly fair that Levi got away with only his usual cup of tea. Nor was it fair that the rest of the squad crowded around Levi to ask how he was recovering, while all Eren got was stuck with the rest of his friends. Both sitting at different tables, which may as well have been in different cities. Annoyed by their persistent questioning, Eren abandoned the dining hall, taking himself down to see Hanji.

As usual, Hanji was excited to see him. Leading him through to her private lab, she settled him down on the examination table  
"Your glands look swollen"  
"Yeah. Levi said you should know to leave them alone by now"  
"He did?"  
"Mmm"  
Cackling, Hanji shook her head  
"It's on the list of things I have to do this time around. I was hoping they'd heal over night. Still, you and Levi, hey?"  
"What about me and Levi?"  
"You're just calling him by his first name. Could it be you and he...?"  
Hanji's smile couldn't get any wider  
"What?! No. It's not like that!"  
"Mhmm. And where is Leeeevi this morning?"  
Eren ignored the accusing way Hanji extended the "e" in his boyfriend's name  
"Working. Erwin's sending him to the Capital"  
"Yep. Which means you're stuck here with me"  
"I don't mind. I've literally been stuck with Levi for two months. He doesn't always appreciate my humour"  
"Did he make you clean?"  
"I don't think I ever want to see another scrubbing brush again"  
"We both know you don't mean that. You would have been back a whole lot sooner if it was that bad"  
"I'm pretty sure we couldn't come back until Levi healed. Besides, Erwin was practically drooling over him last night. I don't think he cared I was back"  
"Awww. Are you jealous?"  
"Hanji, I will bite you if you keep this up"  
Laughing again, Hanji grabbed her notebook  
"You sound just like him. Ok, so today, we don't need to do your bloods, and I won't need to biopsy your glands again"  
"Good, because they really fucking hurt"  
"You know, every time I hear you swear, it makes me want to laugh. You're too sweet to be swearing"  
"I'm not that sweet"  
"Of course you are. Now, I'm going start with nail and hair samples... and I'm going to need a tooth"  
"Yay. Have I told you how happy I am to be back?"  
"Yep. If it helps, I can sedate you and wake you after it's all over"  
"No. We both know they get cranky when there's drugs in my samples"  
"I've already taken the blood samples, we're all set to drug you up"  
"And we're not going to repeat the tests?"  
"Nope"  
"In that case, drug me up and do what you will"  
Hanji winked  
"Oh baby, you have no idea the things I could do to you"  
"I think I'll just take a dose of sedatives, with a follow up shot of sleep"  
"Ooooh. I think I can do that. Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?"  
"As long as you leave the lights on"  
Hanji giggled as she nodded  
"I can do that, but I don't think I need to subject you to my singing"  
"Aw. Maybe you'll sound better when I'm unconscious?"  
"This is true. I'll be right back, then we can get started"  
"Take your time"  
"You're such a cutie"  
"And you're deluded"

 

*  
With Petra and Erwin both gushing over him, Levi felt like smacking his head repeatedly on the nearest wall. He was fine. He was still a little stiff, but he was fine. With Eren's blood, he'd be healed in no time, but that would mean actually finding 5 minutes for himself. He hadn't even gotten to walk Eren down to Hanji, as the kid was dragged away from him by his friends, while the rest of his squad wanted to know how he was, if he was actually healed, when he was leaving for Capital and about a hundred other shitty questions. All he could think about was Eren's swollen scent glands. He'd fed from them just fine during the brat's heat, none of them swelling or oozing like they had for Hanji's needles, and the idea of his... his boyfriend being pain and left him on edge. He was still struggling to accept the fact that Eren was truly his... boyfriend. He had no idea what normal people do when dating, only that he wanted the teen by his side and he desperately wanted to protect him... hell, he was still dealing with the fact he was sleeping with a 16 and a half year old brat, who made him feel like he was half his age, and the fact all it took was a single look or touch to ignite a fire in his gut. He was pathetic. In love with kid who would be spending the next three weeks in the hands of Hanji. Something he desperately wished he could save Eren from, but Shitty Eyebrows was sending him away. A bit so subtle move to seperate the pair of them, and move that was definitely not appreciated.

It was nearing on lunch time before Levi finally managed to escape to Hanji's lab. Eren was out cold on the bed, while Hanji was noting something or other down  
"How is he?"  
Jumping, Hanji squealed as she span to face him  
"Levi! You look great!"  
"Touch me and I'll break your hand"  
"Awww. You're so sweet. Your little boyfriend is just fine"  
"My boyfriend?"  
"Don't tell me you two didn't finally get together! You were alone for long enough"  
"You're not funny. Why's under?"  
"I needed a tooth, and he agreed he'd rather be under when I took it"  
"A tooth? That's fucking revolting. Do you know how many germs are in the human mouth?"  
"It's not my fault. How do you think I feel? I don't want to hurt him, I even took gland samples last night in a hope they'd heal before today"  
"You should know to leave them alone"  
Hanji's grin grew  
"Eren said the exact same thing"  
"It's true. I don't know what you're doing, but you're doing it wrong"  
"Oh! You're going to tell me how to do my job?"  
"I will when you put the kid in pain. He's had to put up with me while I was out of my mind. He's suffered enough"  
"Well, he's all done. He's just sleeping the sedatives off. Now, tell me more about you. How's your back? And when did you start drinking Eren's blood? And did he have his heat while you were together? I need to know all about it"  
"I've been feeding off Eren daily for the last 3 weeks. It only took a couple of feeds for it start working. And why do you need to know about Eren's heat? It's his business"  
"Oooooh. Daily. And I need to know because the Government's given me medication for him"  
"Not that shit that makes him bleed"  
"I don't know. I've never seen a composition like it, so I can't fabricate the results. We both know I would rather not put him through that"  
Levi paused. He didn't want to admit to Hanji that he was dating Eren, but he didn't know how much the brat had told her. He also didn't want Hanji potentially endangering Eren's life because he hadn't sacked up enough to admit it  
"If you mention anything to Erwin, I will fucking gut you"

"Mention anything to me, about what?"  
Oh for fuck sake. Couldn't he just have five fucking minutes without Erwin. Taking a deep breath, he tried to settle his features into something that wasn't quite a hateful glare  
"Eren's sick from Hanji's shitty poking. He's going to be fine, but he won't want to be put on standby while his glands heal"  
"If he's sick, he's a danger"  
"He's not a danger. It's just his glands and his scent"  
"Yep. I took samples last night and they haven't healed. I've just been taking the samples the Government requested"  
He's actually have thank Hanji for backing up his misdirection, the thought annoying him immensely  
"I can't believe this. What use is he if he's sick. The Government is already hounding me for those results"  
"Hey! We are not doing this all over again. His glands were agitated by their experiments. Most of what they want done won't be affected by the fact his glands are swollen. One or two days and he'll be healed"  
"Make sure he is. He's had enough time off"  
Crossing his arms, Levi straightened his back  
"He wasn't on holiday"  
"He might as well have been"  
"Because having your superior officer attack you regularly in a haze of blood lust, screams holiday"  
"We only sent him as he was the only one able to stand being attacked by you. You tore his arm open and it healed. That was evidence enough"  
"What the fuck are you talking about?"  
"Eren didn't come running to you about it?"  
"Erwin, either explain what the fuck you're talking about, or get out"  
"Levi, you were out of it when you first came too. I told you about this. I tried to feed Eren your blood and you mauled his arm..."  
Oh... he vaguely remembered something like that  
"That's old news. Why are you bringing that up?"  
"Because he's using you. Can't you see it? You spent the night in his room. What for?"  
"Because he's sick..."  
"If I asked him, would he say the same thing?"  
"Probably not, as he was asleep all night. It's not like it impacted on getting my paperwork done"  
Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose, the man closing his eyes as he took a deep breath  
"Hanji, keep Eren here. Levi, you'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I expect all your work to be completed, before you do. Hanji, organise blood for Levi, blood that isn't Eren's"  
"Erwin..."  
"That's all. Keep me apprised on Eren's condition"

Leaving just as abruptly as he'd arrived, Levi growled is annoyance  
"What the fuck was that?"  
"Erwin was really concerned when you were hurt"  
"I know that"  
"He blamed it all on Eren. It scared the hell out of him, seeing he was so distressed over you"  
"It was an accident"  
"But finding out you and he were never going to be a couple, followed by Eren being the one to carry you back to the castle... all his anger was directed at him"  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
"I did. You were in and out of lucidity, so I'm not surprised you don't remember. Eren really was a wreck. I've never seen him so distraught"  
"That's because he's a brat"  
"Levi, we both know there's more to it than that"  
"Hanji, what is it you want me to say"  
"I want you to tell me what Erwin means to you, and what Eren means to you"  
"Erwin was supposed to be my friend, but with the way he's been treating Eren... it's not my fault I don't have feelings for him"  
"And Eren?"  
"Do you even have to ask?"  
Hanji screamed as she threw her arms up  
"I knew it!"  
"Shut up. Eren doesn't want anyone to know"  
"Ok. Ok. I'm so happy for you!"  
"Don't be happy for me, just look after him"  
"I will. Buuuut I need to know, have you two done it yet"  
"What are we, 12?"  
"Fine. Have you and Eren had sexual intercourse"  
"Out of everything, that's the first thing you want to ask?"  
"Well, I want to know if he went into heat?"  
"If you mean he worked his arse off to put up with my shit until he collapsed, and stressed himself into a heat. Then yes"  
"What was it like? Was he ok? Did his scent change before or after his heat? Did the taste of his blood change? What was the sex like?"  
"Is this even relevant to his health?"  
"Completely"  
"His heat was rough, but he was sane for most of it"  
"Really? Usually he can't remember what he says or does. Maybe it was actually having a partner"  
"It was fucked. I had no idea much pain he'd goes through when he had one"  
"On the plus side, at least you couldn't get him pregnant"  
"Don't even joke about that"  
"His womb was removed, and I haven't seen any mention of it in the Government notes or research materials. When you fed from him, was it..."  
"From neck, arm and glands"  
"And his glands didn't react"  
"They healed perfectly fine. Even during his heat"  
"I wonder why my needles seem to cause such an extreme effect"  
"Don't you dare go stabbing them again"  
"I don't need to"  
"Good. Now, how long before he wakes up?"  
"He shouldn't be under for much longer. But you have paperwork to do, and I have tests to run"  
"Fucking Eyebrows"  
"I'll try and finish everything I can today, that way you can spend some time with him before you have to leave"  
"Don't say it like that. Just because we're... whatever we are, doesn't change anything. And no talking to Eren about it, either"  
"Awww. He'd give details"  
"I know he would. That's the problem"  
"My babies finally got together! I'm so happy"  
"I will end you"  
"You keep saying that, but I never see any evidence"  
Snarling, Levi bared his teeth, Hanji's smile faltering slightly  
"You're precious boy is safe in my hands. Now let me finish up"

Fucking Shitty Glasses kicked him out now that she had what she wanted. Maybe he should have just lied through his aching teeth? He was never going to hear the end of it, especially if things didn't go well and she sure as shit didn't deserve to be thanked after all that crap. Stalking back to Eren's room, he found Armin moving back in  
"Captain Levi, sir?!"  
"Relax Arlert. I need the paperwork I left here"  
"It's stacked on Eren's bed, sir... um, speaking of Eren, where is he?"  
"He'll be with Hanji until the required experiments are completed"  
"So there's no point me moving back in?"  
"No one's going to stop you. Though you'll most likely be alone"  
"That's fine. Um... is Eren actually ok?"  
"His scent glands are a little swollen from Hanji's poking, but she assures me he's fine"  
"That's good... I'll let you get back to it, sir"  
He probably shouldn't find Armin's fear of him as funny as he did, the kid couldn't even look him in the eyes. Shitty brat. At least Eren had a friend that actually wanted him around. Hopefully Hanji would let the boy see his friend... because with Erwin on his rampage, Eren could use all the friends he could get.

 

*  
True to her word, Hanji came fetched him once she was done with Eren. The woman not so subtly slipping the key to her private lab into his pocket, before shoving him into the room and slamming the door closed behind him. Eren was laying on the table, blood around his paws as he huffed unhappily. Walking over to the bed, Levi leant to down to stroke Eren's ears affectionately  
"Hey. How do you feel?"  
Eren let out a whimper as he shifted back, trying to push himself up before failing miserably  
"I thought Hanji wasn't supposed to be pushing you too far"  
"It's fine. I tripped over my own feet and face planted"  
"You. Never"  
"It was kind of spectacular, if I do say so myself"  
"Give me a second to lock the door, then I'm yours for the next few hours"  
"What? How?"  
"Blame Hanji"  
"She knows, doesn't she?"  
"What makes you say that?"  
"She kept looking at me and smiling"  
"Of course she did. I'm leaving in the morning, so she gave me the key for the night"  
"Mmm, I feel like the only time I've got to see today was waking up and sleeping"  
"It's fine"

Crawling into the thin bed with Eren, Eren's lips found his. The teen no longer sleepy by the feel of the erection he was grind into Levi's hip. Hefting his omega into his lap, he shot his boyfriend a smirk as he slapped his arse. Letting out a squeak, Eren pouted  
"What was that for?"  
"For abandoning me at breakfast"  
"I didn't abandon you. I was letting you catch up with everyone"  
"That's why you kept looking at me"  
"I wanted to have breakfast with you"  
"Nothing stopped you"  
"I didn't want to be in the way"  
"Right now, these pants are in the way"  
"I should do something about that"  
"You should..."  
With clumsy hands, Eren finally got Levi's pants undone. The reaction the teen gave every time he eyed his erection was adorable. His eyes going wide, before he'd lick his lips and give a little wiggle  
"Clam down, brat"  
"I don't want to, sir"  
"We have hours"  
"But I've felt empty all day..."  
Sina Maria. Those words were a sin  
"Then I guess we'll just have to change that"  
Pouting his plump pink lips, Eren shimmied his underwear off, completely gracelessly, before straddling his lap. His lover pressing his lips to his as Levi's hands moved to Eren's arse. He wasn't going to risk hurting his omega, not when he wasn't going to be there to take care of him. Whining into his mouth, Eren bit his bottom as Levi slowly began to open him with his finger  
"Feeling good?"  
"Sooo good"  
"Mmm, my good little omega. Nice and wet, making it so easy for me to fuck you with my fingers"  
Honestly, he had no idea where any of these words were coming from, but they reduced Eren to a blushing and begging mess  
"I'm going to fill you up so good, while I drink down that blood of yours"  
"L-Levi... need you"  
"I don't want to tear you"  
"You won't. Need you so bad"  
"Go on then"  
Kissing him quickly, Eren pulled back, pulling Levi's hand from him so he could guide himself down onto Levi's weeping erection. He really did feel like a horny teenagers with Eren. He couldn't get enough of his beautiful body, and lusty little pants and moans. Gripping the edge of the bed, Eren arched his back, his legs spread enough for Levi to watch him fucking himself on his erection  
"Fuck, you're so beautiful"  
Blushing, Eren let his head roll back, his moans growing louder by the second. When the trend rhythm grew sloppy, Levi held him down by the hips, rocking hard up against his lover until Eren came across his stomach, screaming his name. As his knot flared, he pulled his boyfriend down, nuzzling and kissing his hair  
"So good to me..."  
Eren was making that rumbling purr of his as he fought to catch his breath. Massaging his lower back, they basked in their after glow  
"You're so perfect"  
"Shhh... sleeping"  
"Shitty brat"  
"I don't want to let you go"  
"You don't have to. Not right now"  
"Tomorrow"  
"I'm sorry I have to go, but if you're good for Hanji, I'll bring you back something"  
"I only want you to bring yourself back"  
"I'll be back. I promise you"  
"And I'll be waiting"  
"I would bring you with me if I could"  
"It's ok. Hanji said I'll stay down here while you're gone"  
"Yeah. And don't listen to anything Erwin has to say. He's just in a chronic shit mood"  
"Mmm. I'll behave"  
"Not for the rest of the night, you won't"  
"Then shut up already and move"  
Fuck his cocky little brat was perfect.


	28. Chapter 28

Eren was confused. Emotional, Exhausted and confused. With his scent glands swollen, Hanji had been forced to lied to Erwin until they finally recovered. Once they had, he spent every waking moment he could, shifting and completing tasks as Hanji wanted to get all the outside things out the way. Collapsing into bed at the end of the night, only to find Levi's scent fading more and more by the day. He missed him so fucking much, but had been on his best behaviour.

And then the second week came, without Levi returning and Hanji's tests grew worse. The drugs the Government wanted tested, left him bed ridden. If he wasn't vomiting and he was feverish, he was feverish and bleeding from his gums again. He couldn't carry a conversation. He could barely keep his eyes open. His scent glands had flared again, his body felt like it was burning. He wanted Levi to come back and look after him, but all he had was a worried Hanji who struggled to keep his fever under control. His body kept shifting and he couldn't control it, he couldn't do anything but lay there in a ball of misery.

 

*  
Dismounting his horse, Levi groaned to himself. The shitty Government had heard about Kenny, and that just wasn't a conversation he'd ever wanted to have, let alone with them. He still wasn't sure how to explain it to Eren, and Eren meant way more to him than those shitty pieces of trash. Each time he'd been summoned to a meeting, he'd wondered if one of the bastards he was staring at, had been someone who tortured his partner. He was exhausted. He was hungry, even after rationing out Eren's blood to tide him over and he wanted to see that Eren had made it through all his tests alright. Letting some Corps member he didn't even know by name lead his horse away, he readjusted his hold on his backpack as he strode towards the castle. As he'd promised, he'd brought Eren back a few small gifts, hoping to see those stupid green eyes light up when he gifted them... though he wasn't completely sure his tastes would be to the shifters liking.

Favouring Hanji's personal lab over seeing Erwin's shitty eyebrows, he headed straight there. The stench in the hallway outside the room, left him feeling further on edge. He could smell it. He could practically feel it. Eren wasn't ok. Trying the door handle, he found the door looked. Why the fuck was the shitty door locked? Eren wasn't a danger! Fucking Erwin. Knocking, he was forced to contain his need to kick the door in, Hanji taking forever to finally open the stupid thing   
"Levi! Quick, get in here"  
"What's going on?"  
Grabbing his arm, she yanked him into the room. Closing and locking the door behind them  
"Eren's sick, and he's not getting better"  
"What the fuck happened?"  
Dropping his backpack, he jogged the few steps to Eren's side. His boyfriend drenched in sweat as his hands gripped his pillow so hard that his knuckles were white  
"I was conducting the drug experiments the Government wanted done"  
"You poisoned him?"  
"Not intentionally"  
"Get out!"  
"Levi..."  
"Get the fuck out of here, Hanji"  
She might have just been following orders, but his omega was in so much pain. It physically hurt to see him like this  
"I'll just give you a moment alone"

Waiting until Hanji had made her self scarce, Levi placed his hand on Eren's burning forehead, his long eyelashes fluttering as he whined  
"You're ok, brat. I'm back"  
Coughing weakly, Eren tried to say his name. His brat trying to climb into his damn arms, even though he raging with fever  
"Shh, I've got you. I'm going to take you to get cleaned up, then you can get some real rest"  
He got a hum for a reply, but with how sick Eren smelt, the kids throat as probably raw. Why hadn't Erwin stopped this? Or Hanji? She could see how bad he was...

Marching through the halls, no one dared to say a thing. Every single person who saw them, turned and rushed away. The glare on his face fierce enough to keep Eren's friends from trying anything either. Carrying him straight to his bathroom, Levi laid Eren down in the tub, leaving the blankets around him as he turned the taps on. Leaving his boyfriend long enough to strip his gear and boots off, he returned to find Eren trying to escape the lukewarm water  
"Hey. No. Stay still"  
Removing the wet blankets, Eren shivered violently, clutching his stomach as he did  
"Shit brat. Hold on"  
Grabbing the jug usually used to wash his hair with, Levi held it for Eren, the teen hacking and coughing up what seemed to be blood. No matter what Erwin said, he was shutting down the Government experiments. This wasn't ok  
"You're ok. I'll clean you up"

Stripped of his clothes, purple splotches littered Eren's skin. A nasty bruise running along the back of Eren's left hand, right up to his elbow. Leaving his side again, Levi rinsed the jug, before returning and starting to wash Eren's oily and sweaty hair. His omega seemed to be feeling a little better by the end of it, he'd calmed down enough to rest his head against Levi's shoulder as he continued to clean him up. So lost in his anger and the task of cleaning up Eren, he didn't hear Erwin arrive   
"What are you doing?"  
Growling, Levi's left arm pulled Eren closer to him  
"What does it look like?"  
"It looks like Eren should still be in Hanji's lab"  
"He's running a fucking fever and vomiting blood. Did you know about this?"  
"Hanji mentioned he had a bad reaction"  
"This is more than a bad reaction. Look at him. Smell him. Can't you smell how sick he is?"  
"You still should have reported to me first"  
"Why? Reporting to you would only result in an argument"  
"I didn't know you'd be... detained"  
"Bullshit. They wanted to know all about Kenny. Thanks for the fucking head's up"  
"And what did you tell them?"  
"That Kenny's rotting in the ground. The same thing I told you"  
"They must have had a reason to hold you for so long"  
"Yeah. Someone submitted his name in a shitty report. I'm calling an end to these experiments on him"  
"You can't do that"  
"What else can this possibly learn? Look at him. They damn near fucking killed him"  
"You need to calm down"  
"I'm not going to fucking calm down. Sina! I left him here. I should have brought him with me"  
"Levi..."  
"Get out, Erwin"  
"Excuse me?"  
"I said get out! Don't come back until you're prepared to make some kind of change around here"  
"You know we have to do their tests. It's part of Eren being here"  
"There's tests and there's torture. We don't torture our own"  
"You're dangerously close to insubordination right now"  
"I don't care!"  
"Well I do! Whenever Eren is around, you loose all rationality"  
"Of course I do! We effect each other, and together we're stronger. Is that what this is? Weakening Eren, to keep your two monsters on shorter chain"  
"Don't put words into my mouth"  
"Then don't act like he's the problem. I'm not sorry and I don't agree with this"  
"I never knew you were such a simple minded fool. He will be the death of you"  
"Right now, that's preferable to putting up with this shit. And if you want to see more examples of your incompetence, go check out Hanji's lab. He's been sick for days. You knew what happening and you could have stopped it. If he dies, I will never forgive you"  
Erwin stalked away, Levi putting the man out of his mind as he looked back to Eren. The teen now asleep against him  
"You shitty brat. Why didn't you speak up earlier? I've waited for years and years to find something or someone I care about as much as I do for you. You have no right to do this to me. Take responsibility for this. For what you've done to me"

From the bath, Levi carried Eren to his bed. Laying the teen down, he dried him carefully, as each touch seemed to mark the boy's soft skin. The shitty brat had changed him. He'd come in and flipped his whole world upside. He wasn't allowed to just leave him, now. Eren was the first thing in his life he'd actually wanted for himself. The connection to him was like nothing he'd believed possible. It shouldn't have been possible. A vampire and a Lycan. It was a bad joke in the making, so why did it feel like they were made for each other? Eren's blood sated his hunger like nothing out. His presence soothed the teens heat. That had to mean something. Something in him was changing to suit his omega, just like Eren had changed to suit him. By now, they were hopelessly entwined in each other, to a depth neither of them fully comprehend. Making Eren comfortable in their bed, Levi took a quick shower and cleaned the bathroom down, so the teen wouldn't slip if he hand to use it in a hurry. Leaving a bucket on Eren's side, Levi spooned up behind him, angling Eren's head so that if he vomited, it would be off the bed. He desperately needed to feed, but he wouldn't dare until after Eren's fever had broken. Shitty brat. How could he let himself get so sick?

Eren's fever broke during the night. The teen feeling much cooler in his arms come morning. Even his breathing and colour were better, while the purple splotches had faded, though not completely, and the bruise on his arm was gone. Sitting with his back against the bedhead, he stroked Eren's hair gently as the teen slept with his head in his lap. Once Eren woke, he needed to eat and drink, but for now Levi was content to let him sleep.

Hanji braved facing him close to lunch time. The woman bringing in two loaded plates of food and some kind of weak piss that masqueraded as tea. Setting the tray down near Levi's leg, she let out a light "aw" at the sight of them, before deciding she had to climb onto the bed  
"His fevers broken"  
"Yeah. Last night. His bruise has healed too"  
"And the rash?"  
"Fading"  
"Good. I had a visit from Erwin last night"  
"How did that go?"  
"Half a bottle of scotch later and he finally calmed back down. He said you weren't happy"  
"I left him in your care and I come back to find him half dead"  
"I was trying everything I could to bring his fever back under control. It wasn't pretty. He couldn't control or stop his shifts. He was exhausted, but couldn't sleep. He looks alright now, though"  
"He threw up a bit of blood last night"  
"He probably swallowed it. His gums were bleeding again"  
"I'm sick of this Government shit. They could have fucking killed him"  
"I know. Even using small doses of the drug compounds, he still had huge reactions to it. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say they were looking for a chemical way to fight the werewolves"  
"Then capture fucking werewolves. Eren is human"  
"No one wants to capture them. And they won't risk the man power with no guarantees of results"  
"I'm done Hanji. If they ever put him through this again, I'm taking him and I'm leaving"  
"You can't be serious. The Government will hunt you both down"  
"Then it's better he dies out there, than stuck here. Being a pet. Being caged. It doesn't suit him"  
"I think he'd be happy to be anywhere, as long as you're there"  
"I waited a long time for someone like him to come into my life, and now he has, I will do anything and everything to protect him"  
Despite his even tone, the threat was clear. Here he was, telling Hanji that he would even kill her if it meant protecting Eren  
"I'll help you. If the time comes"

"No ones killing anyone"  
Announcing he was awake with a mumble, Eren yawned as he rolled over in Levi's lap, a smile forming on his lips as he realised Levi was staring down at him  
"Hey. I missed you"  
"You shitty brat. You could have died"  
"See how he talks to me? You're supposed to say that you missed me"  
"I did. Why didn't you speak up sooner?"  
"About what?"  
"The drugs"  
"It's ok... Hanji's too scared of you to let me die"  
"That's true. Eren, how do you feel?"  
"Like I swallowed razorblades"  
"Your scent glands?"  
"They all hurt"  
"I'm prescribing complete bedrest until you're completely healed"  
"Damn. I was thinking of going for a run"  
"No running and no shifting. No heavy lifting either. If you need anything, Levi is to help you"  
"I can live with that"  
"With the aura Levi's giving off, I should probably leave you too it. I'll bring dinner up, so you have all afternoon together"  
"Mmm..."  
"Get your mind out of the gutter. The only thing you'll be doing is sleeping"  
"I didn't even say anything"  
"I'm out! Don't you dare..."  
"Hanji, get out"  
"Bye, Hanji"  
Eren gave her a small wave, but his gaze stayed on Levi. Smiling as Hanji left, his brat leaned up to kiss him, before slumping back down  
"How are you really feeling?"  
"Better now you're here. How was the Capital?"  
"Shit. Thanks to some shitty report, I had to have all kinds of stupid conversations I'd already had, all over again"  
"Sounds fun"  
"More fun than what you went through"  
"I'm ok. Tired, but ok"  
"You scared the fuck out of me"  
"I'm sorry. At least I wasn't cut up?"  
"That's not funny"  
"Sorry... mmm, did Hanji bringing food? I can smell food"  
"She did, but you're not using my lap as dining table"  
"I wouldn't dream of getting crumbs in your bed"  
"Good. You're finally learning"  
"Sorry, I'm a little thick"  
"No arguments here"  
"I'm starving"  
"You can sit at the desk and eat"  
"Carry me?"  
"Really?"  
"I'm like weak and shit"  
"More like you know I struggle to say no to you"  
"There's that..."  
"Then you can walk"  
"Fiiiine"

Eren swayed like a newborn foal, his balance was completely off of his stumbled over to where Levi was waiting beside the desk chair for him. Pausing, the teen looked around  
"What is it?"  
"Can you put a towel down?"  
"Why?"  
"I feel like I'm bleeding"  
"Hold the chair"  
Shooting him a confused look, Levi walked around his boyfriend before squatting down behind him. Cupping the teens glorious arse, he pulled the cheeks apart enough to check  
"I don't see any blood"  
"You didn't have to check. It's embarrassing"  
"It's not embarrassing when it comes to you. Hurry up and start eating"

Eren demolished his plate of food, as well as Levi's. Even drinking down the sad excuse for tea. Grinning up at him, Levi sighed down at him. He really didn't feel like scrubbing vomit off the floor   
"I guess you really were hungry?"  
"I told you so. It's your turn to feed now. I can see it. I can smell it on you too. You ran out, didn't you?"  
"Two days ago"  
"Levi... that's dangerous"  
"I managed just fine before you came along"  
"Your back is still..."  
"My back finished healing in the Capital. And anything else that was wrong with me, along with it. You're far too strong of a medicine for me"  
"As long as you're alright"  
"I am. And wherever my bag is, it's got your gift in it"  
"You actually bought me something?"  
"Of course I did. I might not know how to date someone, but I think I know my omega likes gifts"  
"I didn't really think you'd buy me anything"  
"Don't get your hopes up too high. It's practical"  
"Honestly, I'm still feeling clingy, so you buying me something is sending me crazy"  
"You're still clingy?"  
"In my defence, I didn't get it out my system before you left. Give me a couple of more days and you'll be sick to death of me"  
"What's to say I'm not already"  
"The fact you need to feed"  
"You're recovering"  
"We don't have to have sex every time you feed"  
"No, but you get horny"  
"I can't help it. Look, we can just cuddle while you feed"  
"Don't blame me if you can't keep your hands off me"  
"You wish old man. I can totally resist your charms"

Buried between Eren's legs, Levi was feeding from the shifters scent glands. Each looked like absolute agony, the oil secreted had a burning chemical taste that clung to himself tongue like a thick film. He hadn't told Eren, the teen was still stubbornly denying his arousal, which Levi had to admit he was doing a good job over. He'd already drained both tender glands on Eren's neck, careful to nick the skin with just one fang. The glands between his legs, he'd been a little rougher with, sinking both teeth in, before drinking deeply, making sure to swallow every drop of the tainted blood, still, he'd made sure Eren was alright, every step of the way. Pulling his teeth free, he lapped at the dribbling blood as Eren's skin steamed  
"Better?"  
"Mmm"  
"Blissed out?"  
"Kind of"  
Eyeing Eren's erection, he moved on instinct. Wrapping his hand around his shaft, Levi slipped his lips over the angry red tip  
"Fuuuuuck"  
Having never done this before, he was kind of relieved that all it took was three long strokes for Eren to come into his mouth. Drinking down every drop, he wasn't as disgusted as he'd thought he be. Making sure Eren was sufficiently clean, he releases the teen, before crawling up the bed while pulling their blankets with him. Whining as he rolled onto him, Eren slung an arm around his waist, nuzzling into his chest   
"You didn't have to do that"  
"I didn't have to blow you after draining you of blood?"  
"Nope. I can't stay awake now"  
"I'd be insulted if you could. How do your glands feel?"  
"So much better"  
"Good. Now go to sleep brat"  
"I already am..."

 

Hanji returned at dinner, Eren was already awake and reading one Levi's books, while Levi was working on paperwork  
"He lives!"  
"Hey, Hanji"  
"You're awake. How do you feel?"  
"Good. So much better. Levi drained my glands for me, and they've actually started to heal now"  
"He did?"  
"Yep. Wanna take a look?"  
"You know I do. I wonder why they started to heal?"  
"Probably because we're super compatible. What's the outside world like?"  
Placing their dinner on his desk, Hanji backtracked so she could climb onto the bed with Eren. Almost instantly, he wanted to grab the woman and tear her away from his omega. The jealousy catching him by surprise, and causing him to snap the pen in his hold. Relieved to see Eren hadn't noticed, Levi tried to act normal as he cleaned the spilt ink up. Self inking pens might just kill him  
"Your glands really do look better. Your colour's good and your fevers completely gone. Were you faking everything?"  
"You caught me. When can I go back to duties?"  
"You're going to rest tomorrow, but the day after that if everything goes well"  
"And what about the rest of the experiments?"  
"Cancelled for now. You don't have to worry about them"  
"What? Why?"  
"Let's just say, it's being handled"  
"But..."  
"Eren, drop it. If Hanji says it's taken care of, then it's taken care of"  
"But..."  
"Drop it"  
He didn't mean to snap so hard, but Eren sounded disappointed over the fact he couldn't just go back to nearly dying again  
"Errr. Someone's grumpy"  
"Hanji, if you're done. Fuck off"  
"What the fuck? What are you snapping at Hanji for?"  
Because he was jealous the woman was in their room. In their bed and his brat wanted to go fill himself with the poison Levi had carefully sucked out. Sighing he ran his non-ink covered hand through his hair  
"Because you seem so happy to run off and be hurt again"  
"I never said that"  
"You were asking why the experimented were cancelled"  
"Because I know Hanji is in a tough position"  
"You could have died"  
"But I didn't!"  
"Guys. No fighting"  
"Shut up, Shitty Glasses"  
"Don't tell Hanji to shut up!"  
"Then don't act like you want to be pumped full of poison!"  
"I wasn't!"  
"You were!"  
Scrambling off the bed, Eren nearly took Hanji with him as he pulled the blankets   
"I don't want to fucking die! I've been trying to do everything I can to stay alive!"  
Why were they fighting? He didn't want to fight. He just wanted Eren to take better care of himself. Was that really too much?  
"Eren..."  
"I'm going back to my own room! And I'm going back to my own duties!"  
"Oi, brat"  
Eren shot him a seething glare before storming out the room.

"Well that happened"  
"Don't fucking start"  
"Levi, were you jealous just now?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I swear I could smell something telling me to go away"  
"So what? You're becoming the next Mike?"  
"Maybe. Or your scents are changing? Did you really drain his scent glands?"  
"All them. They all tasted like nasty arse chemicals"  
"And how do you feel? Did they affect you?"  
"No more than usual. The taste stayed for a while, but it's gone now"  
"If you start to exhibit any unusual signs or symptoms, you need to come see me. We don't know how those compounds affect a werewolf, let alone a vampire"  
"It makes a werewolf sick and it takes a vampire to cure it. End of story"  
Hanji's eyes lit up  
"Don't even think about it"  
"Please! We ran out of tests to do with you years ago, but we can test they way you and Eren interact..."  
"The only thing you're going to experience is the way my foot interacts with your face"  
"Do you think your violent because of the blood? Maybe the chemicals are reacting to your physiology...?"  
Striding across the room, Levi grabbed Hanji's arm and dragged her to the doorway, before shoving her out   
"But Leeeeevi..."  
"Not happening"  
Fucking Shitty Glasses. Now Eren was fucking mad at him. Couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? Whatever. He'd let his shitty brat sulk it out his system, then things would return to normal.

 

*  
The little shit was avoiding him. Since their fight, Levi could count one hand how many times he'd seen Eren. Being the stubborn brat he was, Eren had gone back to his duties like he hadn't been poisoned, and like everything was just... magically ok, or some shit. He didn't even bother coming to get him for their morning runs, instead Eren had gone out with Armin. He'd been replaced by a coconut bob wearing brat! All he'd wanted was for Eren to take better care of himself, now the kid was audacity to act like this! He wasn't taking it.

Marching into Erwin's office, Erwin looked less than thrilled to see him  
"Levi. What do I owe this pleasure?"  
"I want to take my team on a scouting mission"  
"You, what?"  
"You heard me. After our extended absences, I want to take my team out further than the training forest"  
"I thought you were busy protecting Eren?"  
"Cut the shit"  
"You're the one who said you'd never forgive me if he dies, and now you want to go on a wolf hunt?"  
"What I want is to train with team, without the influence of other people around"  
"You know I can't let you go"  
"Why the fuck not?"  
"Because you just came storming into my office!"  
"That's nothing new"  
"Look. You told me to lay off, and I did. But that is completely different to letting you recklessly endanger your team because Eren got bored with you already"  
Levi snarled, his teeth exposed as his hands gripped the edge of Erwin's desk  
"What the fuck did you say?"  
"I said, you can't allow your lack of a relationship with Eren lead to the team being endangered. You know we have a big mission coming up in two months time. We can't afford to lose any more of our elite staff before then"  
"Actually, I didn't. But now that you've decided to tell me about it, why don't you actually fill me in?"  
"We've always intended to push out and retake Shinganshima"  
"Are you fucking serious?"  
"We aren't making any more progress with Eren. By all accounts, he had a normal childhood until he presented. I've already looked into his father's past and found nothing"  
"Then there's nothing to find"  
"No. I mean. We literally found nothing. Grisha Yeager was found outside the walls. Do you know what that means?"  
"That he wandered off? Tried to feed himself to wolves?"  
"Possibly. Or, he came from somewhere else"  
Levi's laughter bubbled past his lips  
"Are you fucking serious? Do you have any idea how far fetched that is?"  
"Yes. And while you've been falling off a teenager boy, I've been liaising with the Government to make this happen"  
"Then why hasn't it been announced? Why throw this is in my face right now?"  
"To make you see how stupid you're being. Didn't you know Eren has quite the reputation?"  
"What reputation?"  
"He'll sleep with anyone. It looks like he got sleeping with you out his system"  
It felt like someone had bashed him over the head with rock. Levi swayed on the spot as growled  
"That's a fucking lie"  
"Is it? Just how much do you know about him?"  
"I can't fucking believe you would stoop this low. You made a huge show of stopping this shit, only for you start it all over again!"  
"You're making a fool of yourself. The sooner you wake up reality, the sooner we can talk about moving Eren to another squad"  
"You will not be removing him from my care!"  
"We'll talk about this once you've had time to think"  
"Fuck you, Erwin. You've changed. I knew you hid your true colours, but they've no doubt been on display for quite some time now. Eren is staying with me, and that is final"  
"I do believe I have the final say in matter"  
"If you try and pull anything, I will take him and we will leave"  
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that"  
"Why? Seriously. You were supposed to be my friend, but because I don't fucking love you, you start acting like a jealous piece of shit. I never loved you. I also never knew the arousal that came from feeding, so don't you dare throw that in my face"  
"How could you not?"  
"Because none of you ever fucking told me. You know what. This isn't your business. I'm fucking Eren, and if you hurt him, I will end you"  
He probably could have phrased that better, but his anger had definitely got the better of him, each word dripping with venom. Marching back out of Erwin's office, he slammed the door hard enough that it fell from its hinges. Eren was going to kill him. Provided he could get the teen to actually talk to him...

Scouring the castle, Levi ended up finding Eren mucking out the stables with Mike's team, Mike was of course absent due to the smell. Taking one look at him, Eren tried to bolt  
"Don't you even think about it"  
"Ooooh, someone's in trouble"  
"Horseface, shut the fuck up, or you'll be finishing this on your own. Yeager, you're with me"  
Jean's laughed ended abruptly, while Eren slowly placed the rake down. The teen hanging his head as he walked from the stall he was in with Armin. Stupid mushroom head. Once close enough, Levi stepped aside, allowing Eren to lead them both out the stables.

"What's this about?"  
"You. Why have you been avoiding me?"  
"I haven't"  
"We both know you have"  
Huffing, Eren wrapped his arms around his waist   
"Fine. I have"  
"Why?"  
"Because you yelled at Hanji for no reason. You yelled at me without even listening"  
"You wanted to poison yourself"  
"You think I liked throwing my guts up?! Or bleeding?! Or shifting uncontrollably?!"  
"I don't know, you were so eager to run back to it all!"  
"I wasn't fucking eager. I just don't want to die anymore! I'm trying to do everything I can to stay alive. I want to stay alive... I don't want to die..."  
"So why go back to being tested on?"  
"Because the Government could step in and take me away whenever they feel like it. Hanji has to do the experiments they design or they'll come and do them themselves. I don't want to die. I don't want to be cut up all over again. I don't want to watch my fingers burnt off or my organs pulled out and played with! I want to stay here and solve cases and be with you, but I can't say no to them. You know this"  
The vivid images of Eren's torture his mind conjured had his heart racing even future as he resisted the urge to reach out and pull the teen close. If anyone was stupid enough to approach them right now, they'd be put down before they could even utter "hello". Choking slightly on his words, he tried to articulate what he'd wanted to say all along  
"I do... I... what I wanted to say was that all I want is for you to take better care of yourself. I don't want you to force down drugs when they make you violently ill. You're not a monster"  
"I kind of am"  
"No. The werewolves are the monsters. You're not like them"  
"Sometimes I'm not so sure"  
"That's why you should leave the thinking to me. And as for the Government, I don't think you'll have to worry for a while"  
"What does that mean?"  
"It means Erwin is an arsehole, but he wants to reclaim Shingashima"  
"He what?"  
"In two months time"  
"Then why hasn't it been announced?"  
"I don't know. I'm still not completely convinced it's going to happen"  
"Then why tell me?"  
"Because you're supposed to be my partner. If you're done avoiding me, why don't we go do some actual training. I'd planned to take the squad scouting, but he shot me down"  
"With a mission that big, I can see why"  
"Yeah. Look. I'm shit at feelings. You need to tell me what I do wrong, when I do it. Or I'm not going to get it"  
"I already knew you were. That and tact"  
"Speaking of tact... Erwin knows we're fucking"  
Eren's eyes bugged out, before the teen dramatically threw himself down on the grass  
"I'm dead. He's going to kill me"  
"He's not going to kill you"  
"He is. Here lies Eren. Killed by Erwin"  
"You're being over dramatic"  
"The man was in love with you for years and then you tell him you're fucking me. What were you thinking?"  
"I wasn't. You've gotten in my head and fucked me up"  
"Don't blame me! Ugh!"  
"He would have found out anyway. And he already suspected... now it's just openly declared"  
Well, he already knew, but Eren was too much of an air head to put the pieces together on his own  
"Did you at least word it better? You didn't, did you? Great. I've already got a reputation as a slut and all did was kiss a guy. Now everyone's going to know I lost my virginity to the scariest man around here"  
"So what?"  
"So I don't know what to say or do now. I enjoyed having this between us. I liked not having everyone in business for a change..."  
"It's not like it really changes anything"  
"It changes everything"  
"How?"  
"Because every time I'm in your room cleaning or doing stupid paperwork, they're going to think we're fucking. Every time I actually manage not to fuck up, they're going to put it down to favouritism. They're going to look at the two months we spent together and think we were just shirking out responsibilities. I want to work hard and achieve things on my own terms. I want my own successes. Now everything I achieve will be linked back to you somehow"  
"I think you're overreacting"  
"Am I?!"  
"Yes. You are. Erwin won't be telling anyone"  
"You say that now, but all it takes is for one person to overhear anything and I'll be through the castle by the end of the night. That's why I was hesitant in telling Hanji anything. I just want to keep my head down and stay alive. I know you care about me and shit, but we can't be whatever this is, if I'm dead"  
"You've really thought about this"  
"I've thought about this since the moment I realised I actually liked you"  
"I think you're over thinking things, brat. Now get up off the grass"  
"I don't want to"  
"Get off the shitty grass and get you nasty arse moving! We don't have time for your tantrums!"  
Eren flinched, slowly obey his words. As he did, he caught sight of his friends who'd left the stable to watch whatever was happening between them. Reaching his hand down, Eren slapped it away. Waiting until he was back on this feet, Levi shoved him towards the training courtyard  
"Think they bought it?"  
"So your new plan is to yell at me?"  
"I did before"  
"I guess I can live with this"  
"Good. Because I also haven't fed in days and you could do with a run"  
"I should have known"  
"Now get a move on, unless you want me to keep yelling at you"


	29. Chapter 29

Laying down some ground rules, things seemed to be actually working. Erwin was lumping him with the shittiest assignments ever, on top of all of Eren's other, at least the only time he had to see the man was when Erwin coldly dished out another job to do. Every time he was in Levi's room, the door was left open. Feeding now happened during their morning run, which was frankly the best way to start the day. Filled and wrecked, his arse left to throb all day. And Levi knew all the best places off the running tracks... now one ever found them, no one found the evidence, even though more than a few trees now witness to their urges... He ate breakfast and lunch with his friends, while he ate dinner with Levi and the rest of the squad. He only snuck out his room at night if he couldn't calm down. After his fight with Levi, he'd clung to Armin until he'd been able to calm down, but it really didn't have the same affect on him as Levi did. If they did give in and have sex in Levi's room, he'd always shower after, and return to his own pretty much straight after. Even when the first thing he did in the morning was wake up and return to Levi. He missed sleeping with Levi, and being held protectively tight. He missed it like crazy, and sometimes it physically hurt to be parted from him. But so far, no one had said or even hinted at anything along the lines of him dating his partner. Armin had given shit over his new clothes and the thick blankets Levi had bought for him, to replace the ones that had been ruined, but smoothly explaining his previous ones had been destroyed when he was being bullied, his best friend backed off. One blanket lived on Levi's bed, the other on his, traded on a near daily basis so he didn't have to go without Levi's scent. Without it, Eren's anxieties decided he needed nonstop nightmares. He was just so nervous about finally returning to Shinganshima. His home...

 

Creeping through the halls at night, Eren felt more like an intruder than a member of the Survey Corps. It was another late night for the teen, though this time he'd been with Hanji discussing maps and vantage points for Shinganshima. The woman was crazy enough to want to attempt the capture of werewolves while they were there. Eren couldn't see Erwin giving her the go ahead, but had humoured her anyway as she'd only been through Shinganshima twice in her life time. As he talked, the memories of his days playing with Mikasa and Armin came flooding back, leaving him with a heavy heart. He wished he could just go back to the days when things were peaceful, and werewolves were all contained on the other side of the walls. Desperately needing Levi's touch, he was surprised when he got to his alphas room, only to find the door locked. Levi never locked his door anymore, not unless it was the middle of the night. Knocking and getting no answer, he was bitterly disappointed to find he'd be sleeping alone. Witt a heavy sigh, he continued down to his room, finding Armin sitting on his bed as he talked to Mike  
"Hey Eren, did you only just finish up your work for the day?"  
"Yep. Hanji wanted to know more about Shinganshima. If I'm interrupting, I can go"  
"No, you're alright Eren. I was actually looking for you"  
"Something I can help you with, sir?"  
"As of tomorrow, you'll be training with my Squad instead of Levi's. Given we're so close to leaving, we really need to practice and train together"  
"With your Squad?"  
Levi hadn't mentioned he'd be changing squads! He'd seen the man that morning, and he'd said nothing!  
"Squad Levi will be on the front lines, while our Squad will be providing back-up to Hanji's. We'll be situated in the middle of the formation"  
"Oh..."  
"Did Levi not tell you?"  
"I haven't seen him since this morning"  
"It wasn't announced until lunchtime, Hanji really should have informed you"  
So even Hanji knew that he was being separated from Levi?! What the fuck!? He'd done absolutely everything Erwin had asked of him, in an attempt to demonstrate that he was indeed fit for active duty and that being with Levi didn't change that. Now he was being kicked out of his Squad?! He was fucking pissed!  
"It's fine. It's for the good of the mission. I usually go for a morning run, is that still ok?"  
"I would prefer you held out until after breakfast. We'll be practicing manoeuvres in the training forest straight after"  
"Understood"  
"Great. That's all I came here to talk about. Armin, Eren, I'll see you both bright and early tomorrow morning"  
Saluting Mike, he held the pose until the man left, deflating once the door closed.

"You don't seem happy"  
"I'm fine. It was just a long day"  
"You know you can talk to me, don't you?"  
Armin scooted across to his own bed, while Eren started to strip  
"I am talking to you"  
"I mean about other things"  
"I don't have anything to talk about"  
"Not even you and Captain Levi?"  
"What about me and Captain Levi?"  
"You guys have gotten closer..."  
"Because it's his job to kill me if the need arises"  
"That's why you sneak out our room in the middle of the night"  
"I take my showers in the middle of the night"  
"Eren"  
"I do. You know my body's changed and you know my scent tends to upset people. So I take my showers at night, and in Levi's bathroom so I don't make anyone else uncomfortable"  
"Is that all you do?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It means, are you and Levi an item?"  
"Are we what?!"  
"I was just thinking..."  
"I'm going to cut you off right there. It's not what you think. Levi is just helping me out because I'm a valuable Military asset"  
"That's why he bought you new clothes and bedding, and that's why he feeds you so much at dinner"  
"It's not my fault. Everything I had destroyed, and as for being hungry, I'm always starving"  
"We're meant to be friends"  
"We are friends"  
"Then why won't you admit your dating Levi?"  
"Because its complicated"  
Oh fuck. Fuck... fuck...  
"So you are?"  
"I'm not having this conversation with you"  
"Eren"  
"No. Look. Anyone dating me is at risk. I could be killed at any time if the Government decides to reclassify me as a threat. It's dangerous to get too close to me. You should know that"  
"You still haven't denied it"  
"Because I shouldn't have to. I'm going to sleep. I suggest you do the same"  
"Eren"  
"I don't want to talk about it, Armin"  
Making a show of climbing into his bed, Eren shifted so he wouldn't have to talk. Armin however, had to have the last say  
"I don't think it's a bad thing, if you are. I just want to be able to help you out if you need it. Besides, everyone says Levi is much mellower these days. The only time he looks super scary is when anyone gets close to you. I don't think Mikasa's noticed, but she's not with you all the time... Eren if you are dating him, promise me you're safe and that this what you want. If things turn bad, none of us would be able to stand up to Levi"  
He should be grateful for Armin's concerned, but he was still pissed that his boyfriend hadn't sought him out to tell him face to face that he was being reassigned.

 

*  
After a morning of careless mistakes, Eren still hadn't had a chance to talk to Levi. Petra had sought him out at lunch to complain about his transfer, which had been nice, even if horsefaced Jean had given him shit while Mikasa had glared daggers at Petra the whole time. He had nothing against Mike, in fact, they got along awesomely. It was just... every time he looked to Levi, his boyfriend looked away. He felt like a kicked puppy. Could it be that now they were no longer partners, Levi had no use for him? He wanted to talk to him so badly, but Erwin was sitting at the same table, meaning he really wasn't welcome there. And even worse, they actually looked like they were getting along. It all left a bitter taste in his mouth.

After lunch, he was dragged out for more training. His stomach doing flips when he realised both Erwin and Levi were now watching them. With the hot afternoon sun pouring down on him, his palms felt sweaty, his chest tight and his eyes persistently wandering to him. He couldn't get him out his head, the teens anxiety turning to anger. Levi had no right to stand over there in the shade, watching everyone but him. He couldn't even meet his fucking eye! Getting barrel rolled by a rampaging Sasha and Connie, Mike yelled out at them to stop. Levi hadn't even moved to help. How fucking dare he?!  
"Eren, are you ok?"  
No. He really wasn't ok. He had shitty fucking tears in his eyes and a boyfriend that wouldn't talk to him!  
"Why don't we take a break from this? Blouse. Springer. Why don't you lead the others in a run around the oval?"  
Sasha groaned  
"It's Eren's fault for not moving"  
"Eren's taking a break"  
"Why does he get to take a break?!"  
"Because he needs to go talk to Squad Leader Levi"  
"No I don't"  
"Eren"  
"I don't have anything to say to him!"  
Mike blinked, shaking his head  
"I'm sure you don't. Maybe you can tell me more about this thing you don't want to talk about"  
"It's nothing. I'm sorry I was distracted"  
"Eren, we need to work as a cohesive team"  
"I get it! I know I've fucked up all morning! I just didn't expect to be transferred"  
Why the fuck were tears rolling down his face now?   
"You don't smell very well. Why don't you call it a day"  
"I'm fine!"  
"Eren..."  
"I said I'm fine!"  
"Go take a break"  
"I don't need a break!"  
"As your commanding officer, I'm telling you to take a break"  
"I know my own limits and I'm fine"  
"This isn't going to work if you don't listen to me. You're sweating and you're shaking. You're no good to anyone if you push yourself so hard that you make yourself sick"  
Looking Mike in the eye, the man gave him a small smile. The man wasn't telling him to go because he was laughing at him, instead, he really was worried  
"Fine. I'll go rest"  
"Good. You're doing fine. This is just the first day. We still have time before we move out"  
"I'm sorry Erwin stuck you with me"  
"Everyone's happy you're here"

Jogging over to where Levi and Erwin were standing, Erwin crossed his arms as he approached   
"Eren"  
"Sir"  
"Why aren't you participating with the rest of your team?"  
"Squad Leader Mike sent me to rest. I was hoping to talk to Captain Levi"  
"If you're supposed to be resting, then rest"  
"Erwin, it's fine"  
"He's no longer under your command"  
"I am well aware of that"  
"Then you shouldn't be distracting him"  
Couldn't Erwin just fuck of for 5 minutes. Clenching his hands into fists, he glared at the pair of them, summoning up his courage  
"In that case. Why was I transferred?! I've been doing my work. I deserve to be on the front lines"  
"Are you saying the roles the supporting soldiers will be performing aren't good enough for you?"  
"What? No! I just want an explanation"  
"In that case. You are too much of a liability to have on the front lines. Levi agreed with me"  
"Don't put words in my mouth"  
"I understand"  
Both of them could get fucked  
"What Erwin was trying to say..."  
"I don't want I hear it. You couldn't even tell me to fucking face"  
"Eren, it's.."  
"I told you. I don't want to hear it"  
Reaching out to grab his arm, Erwin sleeve rode up. Two small, angry red dots becoming exposed as it did. So that was it. Levi didn't want him. He'd gone back to Erwin  
"Don't fucking touch me"  
Shoving his way between the pair of them, Eren started to run, shifting seamlessly into his wolf form. His heart felt like it was breaking. His stomach filled with a scorching nest of nettles. His despair rolling off of him in thick waves. Levi didn't want him. His alpha. His lover. His boyfriend... didn't want him.

 

*  
"Why the fuck did you have to say it like that?!"  
"Like what?"  
"Like I thought he didn't deserve to be on the front lines"  
"You agreed"  
"To keep him fucking safe!"  
"He overreacted"  
"He was upset! I didn't even get to tell him about it myself. I didn't even get to talk to him about any of this, because I've stuck doing your shitty paperwork"  
He hadn't even gotten back to his room last night because Erwin had dragged his arse down to the storage room to do a stocktake on their supplies. He'd ended up being nearly eaten alive by mosquitoes for his troubles, and when he did finally get to bed, Eren didn't wake him up for their morning run  
"I'm going to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid"  
"I suppose telling you not to, won't do any good?"  
"Of course it won't. Don't bother waiting for me"

Using his gear to track his boyfriend down, Eren was sitting in the middle of a small clearing, a whining and whimpering mess. Landing softly, Levi walked over to him, Eren fixing him with a cold glare  
"Don't look at me like that. I came here to explain"  
Growling, Eren bared his teeth  
"Erwin was causing shit. I wanted to tell you, but I was busy all of yesterday. I didn't get back to room until late, but by then, you'd already decided you weren't talking to me. Look. It's not that you don't deserve a place on the front lines. I don't want you there"  
Reaching out his hand, he winced as Eren bit down hard enough to break the skin  
"Maria, brat! I don't want you there because I don't want to lose you. You know how dangerous this is going to be. You know I think you're a good soldier. You know that I wouldn't take this away from you, normally. But Eren. People are going to die and I can't lose you. So you can be mad. You can be angry. You can yell and scream at me. But I don't care. I can't lose you"  
His voice cracked with emotion. Eren's eyes widening as if shocked  
"I believe in you. But this whole mission... it's a mess. We'll be joined by members of both the Military Police and Garrison Regiment. I don't know them. I don't know who I can trust. To me, every single one of them is a threat to you. So I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself. I'm sorry I hurt you. But please... please just let me protect you"  
Eren slowly his teeth from Levi's hand, the bite wasn't too bad, not as bad a it could have been  
"Will you shift back? I've missed you"  
Eren kept him waiting for several small eternities before doing so. The kid's eyes were red from crying  
"I thought you didn't want me"  
"I want you"  
"You said you wouldn't let him split us... and you fed from him"  
"I don't want to be parted from you. I just want you safe"  
"You fed from him!"  
Flinching as Eren yelled in his face, Levi held his hands up as if surrendering   
"I never fed from him. Not lately at any rate"  
"Bullshit! He had marks on his arms!"  
"Because we were up half the night. He probably got bitten by the shitty mosquitoes that bit me"  
"Your room was locked"  
"Because I had to sort through all our gear, so we could place an order before the mission"  
"You knew. You knew from lunch time yesterday"  
"And when did I get a chance to tell you? You were busy all day with your duties, then you were with Hanji. I could have told you this morning, but you decided not to bother waking me up"  
"Mike told me not to run"  
"How was I supposed to know that? Look. Out of everyone, Mike was the best fit for you. You know his team, and he can smell trouble coming"  
"I don't care! What's the point of having this power if I can't use it to protect everyone?!"  
"You don't need to protect everyone"  
"Right. Sure. I'll just give up all my dreams"  
"You could die!"  
"So could you! You could die and I wouldn't be there to do a single thing about it!"  
"Eren..."  
"I hate you! I hate you so much! You want to protect me, but you won't let me even try to protect you!"  
Gathering Eren against him, Eren nuzzled into his neck   
"I can't lose you. You're all I have"  
"I'm not going anywhere. At night, we'll be camped together. We only need to keep formation when we're travelling"  
"I'm scared to go home"  
"You don't need to be scared"  
"I hate you"  
"No, you don't"  
"I don't"  
Wriggling into his lap, Eren moved to look him in the eye   
"I feel so lonely. I barely even get to see you, and when I do, it's only for a few hours at the most"  
"You're the one who wanted rules and boundaries"  
"I suck"  
"We're alone right now"  
"Won't Erwin want you back?"  
"He can go fuck himself. You need more than he does"  
"I'm sorry... I just... I feel like I tried so hard to prove this wouldn't come between us and our duties. And now we're being separated again"  
"I know. I'm proud of you"  
Almost shyly Eren kissed him softly   
"I don't want to be lonely anymore"

Laying naked in the grass, Eren was trembling sweetly for him. His little omega gushing slick as Levi lapped at his sodden opening, drunk off the scent filling his senses. This was something else he'd never thought he'd like. It was so dirty and nasty, but Eren's slick flooded his mouth and slid down his throat so easily. Tonguing and fingering his lover, Eren's honeyed mews poured from his throat, desperately begging for release from the tight hold Levi had on his shaft and balls. He wanted to break him. To make him heel by his side. This adorable and erotic creature that was all his. Whimpering as his back arched, Levi pulled his tongue free   
"A-alpha.."  
"What is it, little omega"  
"Need you"  
"What do you need? Do you need me to flip you over and fuck you like the nasty slut you are? You need me to fill you with my cum? To soak those wet insides with you?"  
"Fuuuuck, yes!"  
With his hair a mess and his eyes half closed, Eren already looked wrecked. Smirking, he leaned up to tongue at Eren's slit, the teen's hips surging upwards   
"Levi!"  
Tormenting him, Eren was reduced to begging again  
"You're not allowed to come when I let you go"  
"Please. Please I need to come"  
"Roll yourself over for me"  
Whimpering, Eren struggled. His arms unable to find the strength to hold himself up. With his arse in the air, Eren sobbed  
"Please... alpha. Need your cum. Need to be filled! Need you to breed me!"  
"I'd breed you so good. So full of my seed"  
"Yessss... please"  
Releasing his hold, Eren's whole body convulsed. The teen coming hard across the grass, as thick slick gushed  
"So pretty, but I told you not to come"  
Smacking Eren's arse, the teen yelped. Smacking the same spot twice more, Levi stopped to pepper kisses to the smarting flesh. His hands then moving to Eren's hips. With Eren so open and wet, Levi pushed into his omega with one hard thrust  
"Fuck!"  
Gripping Eren's hips harder, Levi set a brutal pace. The clearing filling with their groans and pants, both fixated on their need to come. Hauling Eren back into his lap, his boyfriend took over fucking himself on his erection while he frantically jerked himself off  
"I'm gonna come"  
Biting into Eren's neck, his lovers orgasm tore threw him, clenching and rippling as Levi's dick swelled, locking them in place as his semen pulsed, filling Eren so thoroughly and perfectly. Sliding his right hand to Eren's lower abdomen, rubbing small circles as his left hand ghosted up to tease and knead at the brat's left breast. Moaning, Eren dropped his head back onto Levi's shoulder   
"They're sensitive"  
Of course they were. Two orgasms and the teens whole body was over sensitised, completely limp in his hold. Drinking down deeply, Eren sighed softly   
"I don't want to sleep on my own anymore"  
Something inside him flared with happiness. Eren finally wanted to move into his room. He wanted to be with him. He was choosing him all over again. Finishing his feeding, he slid his teeth free. Catching the last drops with his tongue, he then nuzzled into Eren's neck  
"Then move in with me"  
"Are you sure?"  
"I want you to"  
"Ok"  
"Good. I feel like I never get enough time with you"  
"I feel that way too. It's so cold and lonely without you"  
"We've still got two weeks before we leave"  
"Mike probably won't let me run in the morning"  
"I'm almost certain I can do something about that"  
"You can?"  
Rolling his hips, Eren whined as he clenched down harder  
"I can definitely give you an early morning workout that will leave you panting"  
"Fuck, I like the sound of that"  
"Just don't go slacking off"  
"Me? I don't slack off"  
"I know you don't. But if you do, I'll have to punish you"  
"Will you spank me again?"  
"I'm sorry I didn't ask. Was that ok?"  
"Mmm, it was hot"  
"Then does it really count as a punishment?"  
"I don't know. I can't use the brain. It's melted"  
"Did it exist to begin with?"  
"Ha Ha. You know you're not as funny as you think you are"  
"Did you hear about the constipated accountant? He couldn't budget"  
"You really want to go there, while you're dick is up my arse?"  
"Did you hear about the constipated mathematician? He worked it out with a penis"  
"Oh my god! Remind me why I'm dating you again?!"  
"Because of my charming sense of humour?"  
"I hate you so much right now"  
"Did..."  
"I swear to Sina. If you make another joke while coming in arse. I will cut you off. No blood and no sex"  
"You wouldn't"  
"I don't have anything else to threaten you with"  
"Shitty brat"  
"You seriously can't help yourself, can you?"  
"I have a crappy sense of humour"

Covering his face with his hands, Eren groaned  
"No more. Please. I want to go back to the castle and take a cool shower"  
"Shit. Mike sent you rest"  
"He said it was heatstroke"  
"Shit..."  
"I'm ok. Just a bit hot"  
"I didn't think"  
"Levi, it's ok. It felt good, I'm just tired and hot"  
"You don't have a fever do you?"  
"No. No fever. Just a bit nauseous now"  
"You said you were hot. What else are you hiding. Do I need to take you down to Hanji?"  
"What? No. I feel sick from the heat, and sleepy from the sex. But I feel happy because we talked..."  
"I wish you wouldn't get so anxious. You were so head strong when I met you"  
"I can't help it. I've realised just how big the world around me is, and how small I really am. I still want to protect everyone, but... I guess when you realise the weight of the world, you can't help but see your own weaknesses in a new way"  
"That's too heavy. Just keep doing what you have been, and we'll find a way past these walls"  
"If we do, will you be there?"  
"I'll be with you until the very end"  
"Mmm. I guess it's a deal. I'm going to take a nap, wake me up when your dick finally goes down"  
Kissing his cheek, Eren hid his face against his, his hands now laying over Levi's. A world without werewolves didn't seem possible, but with Eren around, they might just find a way to make it a reality.

 

*  
Moving Eren into his room was fairly simple. Eren still wanted his own space, so left the majority of his things in his room, which Armin was going to continue using. The only things he really insisted on needing were the blankets Levi had gifted his brat, the deep green was the closest colour he could get to the teens eyes, and the few sets of clothes he'd bought the omega at the same time. They now occupied the bottom draw of his dresser, while their blankets were hidden under the standard ones issued. As thrilled as he was about having Eren sleeping in his arms, his boyfriend was a horny little shit. And Eren knew it. He'd given up hiding his body when he came out the shower, in favour of walking around their room naked, especially when knew Levi had a mountain of paperwork to complete. Each day the teen looked more delectable, and his scent was more intoxicating. Even trying to air the room out hadn't worked. It was as off his omega's scent had soaked into the very stone of the castle. Scrubbing and cleaning didn't work. Not that he personally wanted Eren's scent gone. It just made it hard when he'd pop a boner mid-paperwork. On the other hand, it had lead to Erwin fucking stuttering over the smell, as his face turned bright red, and the man had avoided disturbing him in his room since. It was as if they'd actually been sprung mid-fuck. Erwin so worked up, that it was as if Eren sprawled naked across his bed. 

With his brat busy all day, Levi was trying to clean their room up, but his mind kept drifting back to Eren. It wasn't hard when he found the teen had somehow managed to make a collection of their socks under the bed. Seriously? It had only been a week... and was that his shirt? He swept their room everyday... so when did he even have time to stash everything under there? He knew Eren was a teenager, and teenagers were generally slobs, but Eren had made huge progress cleaning, he was now better than the rest of his squad... so why was his boyfriend reverting to his slobby ways?! Placing the collection on the end of their bed, Levi forced himself not to place them in the laundry basket. Even though their out of placeness was grating on his nerves.

By lunchtime everything was scrubbed clean. Their clothes sorted for the trip to Shinganshima, and Eren's other clothes were all neatly sorted for when they returned. With the way he was growing, Levi wasn't certain that they'd even fit him anymore. It felt like every time he looked at Eren, he'd gone and grown again. Settling down at his desk to organise his papers, he'd only just picked up the first stack when Eren came stumbling into their room, slamming the door behind him  
"Hello to you too"  
Stripping off his shirt, Eren let out a growl before stalking over to him  
"What happened?"  
"Bed. Now"  
"What?"  
Taking the papers from his hands, Eren grabbed his right, pulling him to his feet and over to their bed  
"Eren, what happened?"  
Not listening, his brat pushed him down, before straddling into his lap and slamming his lips into his. This was hardly normal, but he wasn't about to complain. Deepening the kiss, Eren's hands tugged at his waist, getting his pants undone in a manner of seconds  
"Eren. Eren, wait. What happened?"  
"Want you"  
Snarling, Levi smoothly flipped them over, tearing Eren's waist cloth off, before clawing at the ties of his omegas pants. Fuck. He'd barely shimmied Eren's pants down before he was hit with the smell of slick. Licking his lips, he yanked the shitty fabric down enough to get between Eren's legs, the teen lifting his hips enough for Levi to push his way into the omega's tight opening. Moaning, Eren started rocking against him immediately, his hands threading through his own hair. It was hot and hard, and over way too fast... almost embarrassingly fast. Reaching down to lift Eren, his brat wrapped his arms around him, letting himself be moved and repositioned into Levi's lap, where he hid his face against Levi's neck  
"Now you've got that out your system, do you want to tell me why we both have our pants around our boots and cum all over shirt?"  
"Some shitty member decided to say something about my smell"  
Snorting at the use of the word shitty, he rubbed small circles against Eren's hip  
"What did they say?"  
"That I fucking stank. I couldn't fucking help it. I didn't mean to fucking slick"  
"So we just had angry sex?"  
"Maybe. It just makes me so mad. And then I get insecure about I again and then I really wanted you"  
This had to be one of Eren's better temper tantrums  
"I'm sorry. I just get so pissed off. I don't ask to smell like honey or wet dog"  
"Or blood. You smell like blood to me"  
"Or blood"  
"Did they say anything else?"  
"No. But Jean started laughing, so I punched him in the face"  
"I would have too"  
"Erwin's probably going to yell"  
"Probably"  
"Can I punch him too?"  
"I wouldn't recommend it"  
"Fuck! I hate this. I still have all my duties to do this afternoon!"  
"What do you have to do?"  
"Mike's making us run 5 laps of the training oval, followed by our usual track and then another 5 laps"  
"You usually like running"  
"Not with Jean. He's always trying to beat me"  
"And does he?"  
"No. Then he gets all shitty. I don't even run all that fast. Not as fast as I do with you. Fuck. I want to punch him all over again"  
"What about Mikasa and Armin?"  
"Mikasa tells me off. She keeps telling me to take it slow and to be careful. And Armin... you know what it's like when it comes to running with Armin"  
"Then shift. Run the course in your wolf form"  
"Jean calls me a smelly mutt"  
Levi growled. Eren might be a smelly mutt, but he was his smelly mutt  
"I'll come with you"  
"What? You've got your own work"  
"I've already cleaned our room. Or it was clean. I found your stash by the way"  
"My stash?"  
"From under the bed"  
Groaning, Eren wriggled in his lap, before settling back against him  
"Don't ask me"  
"Don't ask you what?"  
"I keep stealing your things"  
"Stealing my things?"  
"I think it's a scent thing. I take them and I don't even realise"  
"You should be sick of my scent"  
"More like I feel sick if I don't have your scent"  
"You're sick? Sick as in sick, or sick as in heat?"  
"Hanji said I won't get my heat for a while, thanks to those drugs I had to take. So sick"  
"Did she give you a check up?"  
"Everything except blood work. She's meant to log any changes, but because you feed on me now, she doesn't want to take blood unless it's absolutely necessary"  
"I can stop..."  
"No. I like it. It's stupid, but I feel like I'm providing for you"  
"If it's making you sick..."  
"It's probably nerves over going home"  
Kissing Eren's hair, Levi closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath of Eren's scent. I'd changed since his heat, no longer just blood, but not unpleasant in the slightest. Definitely sweeter, and definitely telling him that Eren was his, and he need to protect him  
"I'm sorry I went all alpha on you"  
"It's fine. I can't say I didn't enjoy it"  
"I know. I can still feel just how much you enjoyed it"  
"When my dick goes down, I'll clean you up. You'll need a new shirt, though"  
"Probably. It's stuck to my stomach. Fuck. We still get Thursday and Friday off, don't we?"  
"As far as I know"  
"Good. I really want to clean"  
"I already cleaned"  
"Then I'll clean my other room..."  
"You don't have to clean"  
"I just... if I could do anything, I'd want to spend the time training with you, but then I'd forget all the stuff Mike's taught me. We could spend it in bed... but I know you like keeping busy too"  
"You need to rest"  
"I'll be fine"  
"Thursday we'll clean and Friday, we can go for a run. And then spend the day in bed. We won't be able to have sex for a while"  
"I know. Hanji already had me prepare vials for you"  
"How many?"  
"Enough for a month"  
"This whole operation shouldn't take a month"  
"No. But she wanted to be prepared. They were talking about taking the Gondola as far as possible, which would have been fine. Then Moblit pointed out the fact it'd probably been damaged. So now they want to look at getting that fixed"  
"You don't need to worry about any of that shit. If she gets too carried away, Erwin will pull her up"  
"She has so many plans for Shinganshima, but it's gone. It was flattened"  
"Shitty Glasses sometimes forgets how to shut her mouth"  
"I don't want to talk about it. Is your knot going down?"  
"Yeah. It'd wait a little longer before sliding off"  
"Fuck. I just want to cling"  
"I don't mind"  
"I know, but I can't cling to you outside and in front of everyone. We talked about this"  
"I know. How everyone doesn't know that you belong to me, I have no idea"  
"Probably because the hickies heal. The only thing that hasn't is that bite mark you gave me after I bit you"  
"I don't mind"  
"I'm not saying I mind. I'm just saying my body is really weird"  
"It's fine"  
"I mean. I thought when I took a mate, that this urge to cling would pass, but now all I want is to be with you. Which, don't get me wrong, is nice. I'm just sick of my hormones"  
"You've got years of enjoyment. Did I ever tell you about when I went through puberty?"  
"No"  
"I lost my mind. I was insatiable. It took years to come back down"  
Eren let out a small "oh"  
"Yeah. It wasn't great"  
"I don't imagine it was. Alright. Pity party over. I'm going to beat you in front of everyone"  
"Sure you are"  
"I know you live for our competitions"  
"Maybe. You're still yet to beat me"  
"One day. You just wait for it"  
"I'll probably die of old age before that happens"  
"You know. You're still not funny"  
"What did..."  
Practically leaping out his lap, Eren whimpered as he straightened. With his pants around his boots, his shirt covered in his own mess, with his dick still hanging out, the teen pointed his finger at him as he glared  
"Don't you even think about it"  
How was he even supposed to come up to a reply? He couldn't help but laugh, causing Eren to get all huffy before storming into bathroom. Fuck. Eren might have just scored his first win.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looook! I'm still doing the thing!

"Hannes!"  
Watching Eren run across the courtyard, Levi was dumped. He'd only just relocated his wayward boyfriend and now said boyfriend throwing his arms around a rather plain looking older blonde man  
"Eren! Armin! Mikasa! Look at you three!"  
He couldn't care less about Mikasa and Armin. He hadn't even gotten to talk to his brat and now he was gone again. Walking up behind him, Hanji placed her hand on his shoulder  
"That's a pretty scary glare you have there"  
"Who the fuck is that?"  
"He said "Hannes", didn't he?"  
"Yeah"  
"Wellllll, Hannes was a family friend. He's probably the closest thing Eren has to a father now. Unless he calls you, Daddy?"  
"Fuck off and die"  
"Damn. I was sure he would"  
"Did you actually want something?"  
"This should make you feel better. Eren gets to stay with you in the cells tonight. The others aren't overly enthused about him not being in chains"  
"Are you fucking shitting me? We've only just fucking got here"  
"I know. But Eren... yay?"  
Giving a little cheer didn't make Hanji any less annoying  
"Look, I know it's not perfect. And I know you're worried about him, but look how happy he is. And if he's in the cells, no ones getting to him"  
"He's being treated like an animal again"  
"It's only for the night"  
"It doesn't make it any better"  
"You know. You're a lot more pleasant when you're getting laid"  
"Fuck off"  
Ruffling his hair, Hanji then shoved him towards Eren and this Hannes person. Eren still oblivious to his presence   
"Eren! You forgot someone!"  
That's it. He was leaving her to the wolves.

"Captain Levi! You have to meet Hannes"  
Pulling Hannes over to him, Eren was positively beaming  
"Levi. Nice to meet you, or rather, to see you again"  
Putting half a second into trying to remember the man, before giving up  
"Hannes. I understand you've known Eren since he was snotty brat?"  
"I've known the three of them since they were. Eren since he was born"  
"So you must have some interesting stories?"  
"Not as many as you must. I think he spent most of his life in trouble, and by the sound of it, not much has changed"  
"He's still a shitty brat"  
As irritating as Hannes was to look at, Eren clearly adored him. So he'd have to give him a chance for his boyfriends sake. Holding Eren's free arm, Mikasa was glaring at him as she's slapped him  
"You don't have to put it like that. What did Hanji want?"  
"You'll be sleeping in the cells tonight"  
"What! Why? What has he done wrong?"  
"It's for his safety. At the end of the day, they're scared of him"  
"If Eren's sleeping down there, so are we"  
"That won't be necessary"  
Eren sighed, finally pushing Mikasa's hand off his arm  
"Could you not? It's fine. I'm not surprised"  
"But Eren..."  
"Seriously Mikasa. Drop it"  
"Nothing's changed. Mikasa, Eren will be safe down there. I need to return to my own Squad. So you three take care"  
"It was great to see you"  
"You kids too. Stay safe out there"  
"You too, Hannes"

With Hannes gone, Mikasa was still scowling at him. Armin was half hiding behind Eren like he was expecting a fight  
"You two need to find your Squad Leader. Yeager, with me"  
"But..."  
"Seriously Mikasa. It's fine. You need to back off and follow Captain Levi's orders"  
"They're treating you like an animal"  
"It's nothing new. Sir, can we go? I think everyone will feel better once I'm locked away"

Waiting until they were down in the cells, Levi wrapped his arms around Eren, before wrinkling his nose in disgust. But after a hard day's ride, and not being able to touch or kiss his brat as he wanted, he kept Eren firmly in his hold  
"You stink brat!"  
"It was on Hannes. I was so happy to see him, but fuck, he smelt sooo weird"  
"It smells like rotten meat or some shit"  
"Oh my god! That's it! Ugh. Can we sleep? Please tell me we can sleep"  
"Not just yet. You need to clean up"  
"Can't we both stink?"  
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that"  
"I'm going to pretend I didn't say it either. I just want to sleep. Mikasa decided she was going go lecture me almost the whole ride today. Armin won't let me just tell her we're dating because it's going to distract her during the whole mission. I feel fucking shitty"  
"What did Mike have to say?"  
"He just let her go"  
"I doubt she'll be too pleased over this"  
"That's an understatement. She's already made it clear that she doesn't like you. Ever since we were kids, she's acted like she's my keeper. In the eyes of the Government, I'm already an adult. I'm old enough to be sent out to die. Shouldn't that mean I'm old enough to make my own decision?"  
"You don't need to convince me"  
"I know. Fuck. I hate this. I wish we'd just fine straight there"  
"You know we didn't have the man power to go alone"  
"I know. I just... I feel like something's going to go wrong"  
"Nothing's going to go wrong. There's a pitcher of water on the stand over there. Why don't you wash up? Shitty Eyebrows will probably come check in with us soon"  
"Don't give me more bad news. I already know I'm going to have to sleep with the chains on"  
"Probably. I won't put them around your wrists, the ones on your ankles should be enough"  
"Don't you ever get sick of me?"  
"No. You don't run from your trauma and that gives you strength"  
"I still don't like having my wrists touched"  
"You're doing much better"  
"Thanks..."

Eren insisted on being chained after he was clean. The brat sitting on the bed in just his underwear and tunic, his long legs forced apart by the shackles connecting to the flooring under the bed. They really shouldn't indulge, but Eren looked so good. Stalking over to sit on the end of the bed, Levi ran his hand down his omega's inner thigh   
"Really?"  
"Mmm. I haven't fed from you in days"  
"That wasn't my fault"  
"I know"  
"Have you been drinking?"  
"It's not the same"  
"You know we can't"  
"I can still look"  
Sliding his hand over Eren's crotch, he pushed his omegas shirt up, bunching it above the teens belly button  
"You're getting fat"  
"I'm not getting fat"  
"Really. This little fat roll says otherwise"  
"I'm still growing"  
"I can tell..."

Levi was just about to continue his journey up Eren's body, when annoyed cough came from behind them. Shoving him off back, Eren scrambled to cover himself   
"Can't you two give it a break?"  
"It's not what you think. Eren isn't feeling well"  
"And that meant you had to go touching him?"  
"What do you want?"  
Erwin let out a sigh   
"I came to make sure he's already in his chains"  
"His ankles are. He hasn't eaten dinner yet, so he needs his hands"  
"They want him collared and cuffed"  
"Are you fucking serious?"  
"It's only for tonight"  
"I don't fucking care. He's not going to be cuffed and collared once we leave"  
"This order comes from above"  
"Levi, it's ok"  
"It's not ok"  
"I'm fine with it. Really"  
"At least Eren understands"  
"This is bullshit"  
"I really just want to go to sleep"  
"I'll send someone down with you dinner. Try not to fuck him"  
Growling, Levi really wished he had something to throw at Erwin. He'd completely ruined the mood, and now Eren was back to wanting to go back to sleep  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad"  
"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the shitty arseholes that call themselves our commanders"  
"If I have to be collared, I can't shift, can I?"  
"No. Not tonight. What's wrong?"  
"I can't get that smell out my nose. It's making me want to vomit"  
"Here, hold on"  
Retrieving his dirty shirt, he returned and dropped it over Eren's face  
"That should help. If people find out you're feeling sick, it's not going to end well"  
"It's better. I have no idea what Hannes was up to. He usually smells like cigarettes and scotch. The Garrison members used to spend all their time playing poker or getting drunk... I never understood why until I saw the wall fall..."  
"There are better ways of dealing with things than drowning yourself in alcohol. You should know that"  
"You get drunk, kiss one guy, and they never let you live it down"  
"As long as you're not kissing any other shitty bastards"  
"The only shitty bastard I'm kissing, is you"  
"I wish we could have talked to him longer. You two really wouldn't get along"  
"I can't even remember meeting him"  
"You came through Shinganshima before. Possibly then?"  
He could barely remember the place, let alone one person  
"It's ok. They say your memory goes first, when you start getting old"  
"You are such a shit"  
"Maybe. This shit is going to sleep. Wake me up for dinner?"  
"The old man doesn't get to sleep?"  
"The old man has a monster to watch"  
"Fuck you. Let me sleep in your lap"  
"You're fine how you are. Besides, do you really want to be caught in my lap?"  
"I hate this mission already, and we haven't even set out"

*  
Hannes brought them down dinner that night, along with Mikasa and Armin for company. The same rotten stench clung to the man, making their catch-up hard to tolerate. He'd missed Hannes, and the relief of finding the man still alive was enormous... if only he didn't smell. Even Mikasa and Armin had noticed it, the pair of them sitting on his bed, while Hannes kicked back in the only chair in the damp cell. Every time Hannes would wave his arm, Eren's stomach would roll, while he struggled to swallow down the vomit that kept rising in his throat. He'd never smelt something like it. And though it was rude, he couldn't deny he was happy when Hannes finally left with Mikasa and Armin. He could finally bury his face back in Levi's shirt, while his boyfriend placed his chains in place, even the dreaded wrist cuffs. Keeping his mouth firmly closed, Levi pulled his blankets into place, before slotting his small frame between him and the wall, his arm wrapping around Eren's waist.   
"I know you don't feel well, would you rather I sleep in the chair?"  
"No. Stay, just, maybe not hug my stomach"  
"Whatever that was, it was disgusting. I hope he takes a fucking shower before we leave"  
"Mmm. I couldn't stop throwing up in my mouth"  
"You should have said something, I would have kicked him out"  
"No... he cares. I'm happy you got to meet him. Even if you aren't"  
"I never know what to say to his type"  
"You did fine. He's like the closest thing left to being a parental figure"  
"I noticed. Get some sleep"  
"You don't want to feed"  
"Not tonight. We'll talk about it in the morning"  
That was probably for the best. His head was throbbing, while his body was melting into Levi's hold. Yawning, he pressed a sleepy kiss to Levi's forehead   
"Ok... I love you"  
Too sleepy to know what he was mumbling, he had no idea Levi was now wide awake, looking terrified, confused and creepily happy all at once. Nor did he hear the man's stuttered confession of "same",

Levi woke him to feed an hour or so before sun up. His boyfriend having already removed all the chains while he slept. Gently and sweetly, Levi fucked him slowly, pausing and stopping each time he thought Eren was in pain or discomfort. He was way too asleep for all this affection, and shamelessly passed back out, as soon as he came. The next time woke, Levi had cleaned him up, dressed him and was cradling his head in his lap  
"Shitty brat, you're cutting it fine"  
"Cutting what fine?"  
"We'll be leaving soon. The way you passed out, I thought I must have taken too much"  
"I'm fine. Just sleepy. You could practically drain me and I'd be fine"  
"I still wouldn't want to risk it. I tried to get that shitty stench out of everything, but it's still there"  
"It's fine. It'll be better once we get out of here"  
"Erwin should be down with keys soon. I won't be able to see you until tonight"  
"Then you better stay safe. I won't forgive you anything happens to you"  
"You too brat. If you feel sick, get Hanji to let you ride in a supply cart"  
"Now you sound like Mikasa"  
"I'm serious. So many things could go wrong today and I'm not risking it"  
Leaning up, Eren snaked his arm around Levi's shoulder as he pressed a soft kiss to his lips  
"I promise I won't. But you have to promise to come back to me"  
"I'll do whatever it takes"  
Kissing him back, Eren was still nervous. He just had a gut feeling things weren't going to go according to plan.

Released from the cell, Erwin's hulking presence behind them made the teen want to latch onto Levi's arm and never let go. Instead, his boyfriend walked stiffly beside him, his head held high... like they weren't about to head out and potentially die. Fuck. He wished he had Levi's confidence. Even just a little of it right now. Spotting Armin and Mikasa, Levi paused mid-stride  
"I'll see you tonight"  
"Yeah..."  
And that was it. Levi continued walking, Erwin falling into step by his side, while Eren walked over to join his friends, ignoring the stares and glares from the gathered squads of soldiers he didn't even know  
"Hey, Eren. Did you get some sleep?"  
"A little. How about you, Armin?"  
"A little. I'm so nervous about returning home"  
"I know how you feel. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Where's Hannes?"  
"He's off with his team, I think. I haven't seen him this morning. I don't think we're going to see that much of him"  
"He really should meet with Hanji though. She's been making so many plans over these captures"  
"I still can't believe she excepts us to do both. She's not even on the front lines"  
"Mikasa. You know Squad Leader Hanji's capable"  
"All I know is that she's always forcing Eren to do all these stupid experiments. We hardly even see you anymore"  
"That's not Hanji's fault. Besides, we're back on the same squad now"  
"It took them long enough. I should have been by your side from the beginning"  
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her about his relationship with Levi, it was bad enough dealing with all the new smells, but just as he was about to man up, the smell he'd been dreading assaulted his nose. Clamping his hand to his mouth, he attempted to keep his breakfast from ending up across Mikasa and Armin's boots. Half yelling his name, the conversation around them dropped  
"Eren?!"  
"Shhhh! You're going to get him in trouble"  
"Maybe he needs to get in trouble. Eren, are you ok? You've gone pale"  
"Come on, let's get over to the horses. We're making a scene"  
Stumbling between his friends, Eren took a desperate gasp. The stink still hung in the air, but it was a little clearer now. Thank Sina for Armin  
"What was that?"  
Shaking his head, Eren spat on the ground by his horse. His stomach still rolling ominously   
"Armin, go find Squad Leader Mike"  
"It's fine. It's passing"  
"You just went white. You're not fine"  
"Too many smells. And that same smell that was on Hannes last night"  
Armin scrunched his face up on disgust   
"Yeah. Pretty much. It hit me all at once, and I can't get it out of my nose"  
"Hannes said it was something on his clothes. Do you think it's some kind of bait or something for the werewolves?"  
"Anything that smells that is going to run. It's putrid"  
"I still think we should notify our Squad Leader"  
"Mike's nose is more sensitive than mine. He's probably feeling just as sick over it"  
"He's right..."  
"But it made Eren sick. If he's sick, he shouldn't be going on a mission like this"  
"I'll be ok once we're riding"  
"Stick close to us. If you collapse..."  
"I'm not going to collapse, Mikasa"  
"Why do you always do this? You push us away every time you need help. Don't you care about us?"  
"Of course I care about you! You just keep smothering me! I'm sick of it!"  
"Well, no one else is going to take care of you, when you don't even try to take care of yourself!"  
"I'm fine! Stop acting like mum!"  
"She told me to keep an eye on you"  
"She's gone! She's gone, Mikasa. Dad's gone too! We're all that's left. You. Me, and Armin. I'm not about to die"  
"Then why don't you try acting like your life matters!"  
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
"Say no to Hanji. Stop with the experiments! They treat you like an animal!"  
"Because I am one! I'm not human! I'm not a werewolf! And I'm not a wolf! So what does that make me?! A threat Mikasa and the moment I no longer have a use, they're going to kill me"

"Alright. That's enough you three. You're making a scene"  
Pulling her scarf up, Mikasa looked away from Mike. The man coming up behind them while Eren was too busy trying to make Mikasa understand   
"Eren's sick"  
"I'm not sick!"  
"Eren, is it true?"  
Crossing his arms, Eren resisted the urge to glare   
"You can smell it. That rotten smell. It's just upset my stomach. I'll be fine once we get out of here"  
"I can. If it gets worse, let me know"  
"I will, sir. Mikasa is just overreacting"  
"Alright. Mount up. We'll be leaving shortly"  
The three of them snapped to salute, Mikasa still looking sour over it, while Eren couldn't help but feel a little smug over the fact Mike took his side  
"Just be careful"  
"I made a promise not to die, and don't intend to break it"  
Armin nodded slowly, knowing exactly who that promise was with. While Mikasa's sour look turned to confusion. She probably would have started to hassle him, but around them everyone else was mounting up. Parting to walk to their own horses, Eren took a deep breath before climbing onto his. He already couldn't wait for the day to be over.

 

*  
Fucking shitty fucking werewolves. They'd barely made it a few kilometres out of Trost. Breaking off from the main group, his and Erwin's teams managed to eliminate the small pack minimal disruption. It would have been fine, but for the recruits and members who lived cushy lives inside the walls, their sloppy training and fear showed. Instead of keeping formation, they slipped between the groups, losing their teams like the bunch of incompetent trash they were. They should have just left the rot back in Trost, as it wouldn't be long before they were rotting in the guts of wolves. Fuck them. As selfish as it was, his mind was 300 metres behind him, where Eren would be riding. His brat hadn't gotten the best nights sleep, then he'd woken him up to feed. If it wasn't their first day, he would have just stuck with the vials, but he needed the extra boost from Eren's blood to counteract the fact he'd stayed up all night to make sure Eren didn't choke on the shitty collar around his neck... and because he was processing the fact that Eren has casually mumbled he loved him, before falling asleep. They'd been together for a little over 3 and half months, and they'd definitely been attracted to each other before hand. Some how turning their barely civil relationship to something akin to friendship, but now Eren was casually telling him he loved him. He should have been scared... but he wasn't. He just didn't know how to say the same thing back, and didn't want to say those words, only to die and leave Eren behind. Hearing the pop of the flare gun, Levi eyed the small pack to the left of the group. With only 3 werewolves visible, it would be better to leave them be... so why was the Garrison Regiment now breaking away?! This whole plan had gone to shit. Erwin clearly knew it from thhis from the fierce scowl on his face. This was their first day. With Hanji's shitty stops, it was going to take them nearly two weeks. The didn't have time to be this sloppy so soon.

17 fucking werewolves. His team had had to actually slay 17 werewolves because people couldn't follow shitty instructions. Making camp by the river for the night, Levi ignored Erwin's bitching in favour of finding his brat. Which wasn't as hard as he'd expected it to be, given Eren was in a yelling match with someone from the Military Police. Pushing through the watching crowd, he found it'd progressed to Eren on the group with a steaming lip, while the shitty MP was poised to stomp down on his omega, Levi marched over, grabbed the MP from behind, putting him a chokehold as he kicked the strangers left knee out. Screaming in pain, the MP dropped like the sack of shit he was  
"What the fuck is going on here!?"  
Roaring the question in the man's ear, the MP didn't answer   
"We all need to fucking work together. Anyone causing trouble will sent back to Trost without their horse! I am more than happy to leave you to the wolves. Now get the fuck out of my sight"  
Kicking the man in the arse, way harder than necessary, Levi looked down to Eren  
"Wanna tell me what happened?"  
"Not really"  
"Get up. We're taking a walk"  
"It's fine"  
"I can't let you just walk away from this"

Glaring, Eren reluctantly reached his hand out. Taking it, Levi pulled him to his feet. The crowd around them parted as Eren walked towards the forest, instead of towards the river like he'd had expected. Following him out of the camp, his boyfriend didn't stop until they'd plunged into the forest, and the camp was hidden from sight  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing"  
"It wasn't nothing. Your lip was split. You were on the fucking ground. We both know you could have taken him, so why didn't you try to defend yourself?"  
"Because he was fucking scared. If I'd hit him back, it would have only made it worse"  
Sinking down to sit, Eren wrapped his arms around his knees  
"What happened? Did he say anything before he hit you? Did you say anything? This is going to get back to Erwin and I'm going to need to know everything"  
"I... I threw up. I was washing off by the river and I threw up. He and his mates came up and said I should be a good little dog, and let myself be drowned in a sack"  
"You vomited?"  
"Don't give me that"  
"You were supposed to go to Hanji if you were feeling sick"  
"It's the fucking smells! I can't deal with all the smells! I just feel so fucking sick, and I can't get the smell of Hannes out my head!"  
Sitting down besides his boyfriend, Eren wrapped his arms around him as he nuzzled into his neck   
"I have this horrible feeling something isn't right"  
"With what?"  
"I don't know... I spent all day trying to work it out, and all I've gotten from it is a headache"  
"That's what happens when you start thinking. Look. Today, nothing went right. The formations failed, the extra soldiers we brought in took one look at the werewolves and panicked. Squads split off and did their own thing. We got roped into fighting because the front wings didn't do their shitty jobs properly. It was a mess"  
"I had a bad feeling before we left. I thought it would get better"  
"It will. It's because you're feeling so shit right now. Let's get Hanji to take a look at you?"  
"No... can we stay here tonight? Away from camp? It smells better here than over there"  
"You want me to sleep on the shitty forest floor?"  
"I can shift, you can sleep on me"  
Levi snorted, pressing to small kisses to Eren's forehead   
"You're not shifting"  
"I don't want to go back over there"  
"Between your friends and... the shitty duo, I'm sure it won't be long before they come find us"  
"I just hope it's not Hannes. I missed him, but that smells too much"  
"It made my teeth hurt"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Or am I not supposed to be affected?"  
"Hannes isn't a ghost. Mikasa and Armin could see him, and touch him"  
"I think we both know ghosts don't quite work the way we thought they did. And that wasn't what I meant. I just meant that there was something in that scent that held traces of blood"  
"Are you sure it wasn't because you were hungry? You took your time feeding"  
"No need to scarf a meal down like a pig at a trough"  
"Thanks for that. I totally needed the mental imagines of you tearing into me"  
"I can if you really want me to"  
"No. That's a solid no. At least for now. My stomach can't even handle the thought of blood, let alone sex"  
If his brat didn't want sex, there was definitely something dire going on  
"Do you think you'll be ok if I go get our things?"  
"I thought we were waiting?"  
"You don't feel well, this shitty forests filled with filthy germs"  
"Is that your way of telling me they're taking too long to come and find us?"  
"There's that"  
"I'll be ok. Just don't take too long"  
"Shift and howl if anything major happens"  
"What do you call major?"  
"The shitty arsewipe from before"  
"Ooooh. I can run, if they come I'll run. I don't want to scare them"  
"You know, sometimes it really pisses me off that you're right"  
"And I love it when you get possessive. We both know I shouldn't provoke them, but it makes me feel better when you encourage me to misbehave"  
"Give me a kiss brat. I'll be back soon"  
Obliging him with a deep kiss, Eren had a cheeky grin on his face as it broke  
"What?"  
"Just thinking how lucky I am to have you. That's all"

Finding Shitty Glasses dragging Moblit around the camp, Levi almost pitied the man, his arms so loaded with her shit, that he couldn't even see where he was going. Clearly she was in full Hanji mode, talking a million miles a minute as her thoughts jumped from idea to idea. If he hadn't actually needed her, he wasn't ashamed to admit he would have hid. It wasn't like he wasn't short enough. Even Moblit wouldn't have seen. He could have grabbed Eren's things and been out of there without them ever noticing. 

Knowing Hanji wasn't about to come back to reality anytime soon, Levi gripped her by the arm, leading her towards the forest. It wasn't until Eren was literally right in front of her that she finally came back to reality. His brat looked even worse than when he'd left him  
"What? What am I doing here? Moblit?"  
"Don't look at me. Levi needed you"  
"We were supposed to be reporting to Erwin"  
"Oh. So that's what we were doing?"  
"Wasn't it obvious?"  
"You've been wandering around camp for the last hour, so no"  
Hanji threw her hands up   
"Why didn't you stop me?"  
"Shitty Glasses, lay off him. I need you take a look at Eren. He's been sick all day"  
"Eren! Why didn't you tell me?!"  
"I'm ok..."  
"Moblit, you can leave all that here. I need my kit"  
"And we need Eren's things. The smell's getting to him"  
"Oh! I didn't think about that. Your anxieties probably through the roof. Moblit, can you get his things, and ours and let Erwin know where we are, and check on their horses"  
"Is there anything else you want him to do, while he's working his arse off for you?"  
"Ummmm"  
"Moblit, go ahead and take your time"  
"But..."  
"Hanji, leave him alone. Focus on Eren"  
"My poor little cutie!"  
Shooting Levi a glare, his boyfriend was soon in Hanji's arms. The woman nuzzling her face into cheek, in a way that Levi didn't appreciate. It was way too intimate, and despite his lack of issue when it came to Hanji's cuddles and affections, Eren looked like he was about to cry  
"Hanji, stop"  
"But he's sick"  
"And you're distressing him"  
"Distressing him or making you jealous"  
"Um... Levi's right. Sorry..."  
"Ok sweetie. Captain Cranky, why don't you sit down while I examine my patient"  
Holding his hand out, Levi moved to take it as he sat behind Eren, his brat sinking back into his hold  
"You two are so sweet"  
"Shut up and get on with it"  
"Why can't you be as nice to everyone as you are to Eren. Those frown lines are ruining your face"  
"I'll ruin your face. Just take a look at him"  
"Guys, I'm right here"  
"I know"  
Eren groaned at him, while Hanji hid her smile behind her hand. Trying to pretend she wasn't the annoying shit she was  
"What are your symptoms?"  
"Sensitivity to scents. Nausea. Exhaustion. Headaches. Clinginess. He's put on weight and started stealing my stuff"  
"Is all that true?"  
"It sounds bad when Levi puts it like that. It's really just the scents"  
"Honestly. If it was possible, I would tend to lean towards pregnancy, but I removed your womb myself"  
Levi's heart stopped at the word "pregnancy". It was too soon to be thinking anything like that... and Eren wasn't supposed to be able to fall pregnant.. that's part of the reason they'd indulged so openly in having sex  
"P-pregnant?"  
"Hanji, you know the brat can regrow his limbs and skin..."  
Hanji shook her head  
"Trust me. I probably know more about Eren's anatomy than anyone else in the world. Between the fact I removed your womb, the drugs you've been given and the fact there's been no mention of your womb reforming, no signs in examinations, or regrowing in any one the few scraps we've been given from the Government, the repeated bleeding, aaaaand the fact the Government wouldn't have allowed you to stay with us if pregnancy was possible. I would say it's most likely stress. Stress combined with the fact you're still growing, even your strengthening Lycan powers. I can't give you anything to stop the smells, but I should have some herbal compounds that will help with the nausea for now"  
"T-thanks, Hanji. Levi worries too much"  
"It's sweet to see how happy you both are together. You both deserve it. No matter what anyone says"  
"Mmm. I know he's short and has a filthy mouth, but he does make me happy. It's stupid, but it feels natural to be with him"  
"It's not stupid. Despite his constant threats of violence and less than sweet demeanour, he's not a bad vampire"  
"He's really not. Sometimes it scares me how nice he can be"  
"Shitty brat. Don't ruin my reputation"  
"I don't think anyone would believe me. Your scowl's pretty scary"  
"I know. Even after all these years, he still makes me pause when he gives that one glare"  
"I know the one. Seriously. It used to scare the fuck out of me"  
"I must be slipping in my old age"  
Leaning his head back, Eren kissed him, before giving him a warm smile. His beautiful brat, was stupidly beautiful   
"When Moblit returns, I'll show you how to brew the herbs. But like I said, I can't do much about the smells"  
"I know. Thanks, Hanji. You should check on Mike. He seemed to be struggling too"  
"I can imagine. There's this one smell. I haven't been able to get it out my nose..."  
"It's Hannes. Or, rather, it was on Hannes. He said something got on his clothes... but it fucking stinks"  
"Don't you worry about it. You just stay over here when it doesn't smell so bad"  
"We'll be setting up camp here. Eren already got into a fight"  
"Eren!"  
"It wasn't my fault. They're all scared of me"  
"That's because they don't know you. Why don't you ride with me tomorrow? You can help place the tethers down"  
"What tethers?"  
"Wellllll... we'll be bringing wolves back with us, so we need somewhere to chain them up at night"  
"You're still going on about that. You saw how unorganised they were today"  
"It'll be easier on the way back..."  
"That's if we still have the man power"  
"Eren can always shift"  
"He's not shifting when he feels this sick"  
"Levi, I'm ok. It's like Hanji said. I'm not pregnant and it's all about the scents"  
"Exactly. Now, I need to find Moblit, because he's taking tooooo long"  
Eren opened his mouth, but Levi gave a half shake of his. This was Hanji's way of giving them space. His boyfriend might have sounded strong, but his name quivered slightly on the word "pregnant". Patting his knee, Hanji jumped up, stretching high, before giving them a wave and disappearing back towards the camp.

"She's so fucking weird"  
"You say that like it's a new discovery. But more importantly, are you ok?"  
"I told you it was the scent thing"  
"I mean, the pregnant thing. I can tell you're disappointed"  
Eren huffed, taking Levi's hands in his, while pressing them to his stomach  
"I'm ok. It's just... I feel like I can feel my wolf... and my wolf is in pain. It wants to give you everything. It wants to give its alpha... it wants to give you the family you deserve. I knew I couldn't, but part of me hoped... but Hanji's right. They never would have left me alive if they'd known"  
"Hey. You know this doesn't change anything between us"  
"I know... it still hurts... I want to go for a run"  
"We can't. The werewolves will be drawn to the camp"  
"Then can we use our gear? I need to clear my head"  
Tears filled Eren's eyes, his bottom lip trembling as he tried not to let it show  
"We'll use our gear. If anyone says anything, we were scouting ahead"  
"Thank you"  
"It's ok. It's pretty hard to hear it so bluntly, but it doesn't change the fact that I still want to be with you. You're still my shitty brat"  
"Your omega?"  
"Yeah. My omega"

 

*  
Waking to Eren violently vomiting outside their tent, Levi sighed as he crawled from his bedroll, and through the tent flap. Eren was just around the corner, his boyfriend heaving so hard his whole body pitched forward, his arms shaking so badly he was nearly face planting into his mess  
"Brat..."  
"L-Levi..."  
Despite the wet dirt beneath his hands, Levi continued to crawl the small distance, wrapping an arm around Eren's waist as he pulled him back. Crying softly, Eren heaved again, spitting up drool this time instead of vomit  
"It's alright. Get it all out"  
"S-sorry"  
"I've got you"  
Nuzzling against his shifters shoulder, Levi peered over, finding a rather impressive puddle in front of them. Hanji's shitty herbs were supposed to stop this shit, not make it worse  
"How long have you been vomiting?"  
Eren shook his head, holding up two fingers   
"Twice?"  
"Hours..."  
"Fuck brat. Why the fuck didn't you wake me? Or Hanji?"  
Heaving again, Eren whimpered before slumping back against completely. His face sweaty in the light of the sunrise. Opening his mouth, he was about to "scold" his brat again, only for a bloodcurdling scream to ring out in the silence. A second scream joined the first, both coming from the direction of the camp, followed by muffled yelling. Bolting out her tent, Hanji hair was stuck to her face with drool, her glasses lopsided, a single glade in her hands as if it was actually going to offer some protection  
"What happened?! Is it wolves?!"  
"How the fuck should I know? Eren sick, take care of him"  
"He's sick? Oh my gosh, that's impressive"  
Weakly grabbing his arm, Eren's eyes were wide  
"Please don't leave me with her"  
"I need to go see what's going on. You need to stay here, where you're safe. It's probably just some shitty prank"  
Sniffling, more tears rushed to fall down his boyfriends face   
"Leeevi"  
"I'll be right back. Ok. Hanji, help him clean up. I don't care what he says, he's with you today"  
"Nooo..."  
"Don't "no" me. Be good for Hanji"  
Whining, Hanji gathered Eren into her arms, pulling him away from his mess  
"I know. Levi needs to do his job, so let's get you cleaned up"

Blood. There was way too much blood in the air. Growling, he bit his inner cheek, he didn't want to feed, but with so much blood, it was hard to keep himself in check. Jogging towards the group, Erwin was already there. A fierce look on his face as he stared down at the sight  
"Erwin. What happened?!"  
"Where's Eren?"  
Shoving his way through, Levi swallowed hard. The body, or what was left of it was sprayed across the inside of the tent, as if the body had exploded outwards. Chunks of flesh hanging and dripping from the sodden fabric. If it wasn't for the distinctly human blood, Levi was have thought it a victim of a wolf attack  
"Where's Eren?"  
"With Hanji"  
"And he was with you all night?"  
"You're not seriously suggesting he had anything to do with this"  
"Levi. Answer the question"  
"Are you fucking shitting me right now?!"  
Turning to him, Erwin bellowed into his face   
"Tell me!"  
"He was with me! All night. We were fucking, if you really want to know"  
They weren't. They'd spent an hour or so alone in the forest while Eren sorted his feelings out, before heading back. Hanji had showed them how to brew the herbs, before the four of them had had dinner, and Eren retired to bed early. Levi not long after, curling around him protectively while Eren silently sipped his tea. After a trip to the bathroom, he'd come back, and fallen asleep in his arms. But if Erwin was going to be an arsehole, he deserved whatever threw back at him. Some kid was dead, and all he cared about was trying to pin this on Eren  
"Don't be so crass"  
"Then don't ask me if Eren's responsible. This looks like an animal attack, but I can't smell anything over the blood"  
"And any evidence around here has been trampled..."  
"Do we know who it was?"  
"Gunther's investigating. Keep Eren away from everyone for now"  
"That only makes it seem like you believe he's responsible"  
"Then do it for his own safety! Look around you. He's the number one suspect in everyone's mind"  
"He didn't fucking do it"  
"Just look at it from their point of view. We rode hard yesterday, we're a day away from Trost. And now someone's been killed"  
"It had to be wolves... no human could have done this"  
"Not even you?"  
"We both know I'm not what I seem, but no. I can't even see any bone matter, or hair. Hanji should examine this"  
"Not Eren?"  
"What the fuck?! Why would he want to see any of this? No. And don't go thinking you can use him as a sniffer dog. The scents have already gotten to him as it is"  
"It's the same with Mike"  
"I'm not surprised. Half the trash here took one look at the werewolves and shat themselves. It's probably still leaking out"  
"Go back to Eren. Keep him away, or I'll have no choice to put him in chains"  
"You're not putting him in chains! You never should have split us to begin with. This whole expedition is in shambles"  
"Your input is not needed or wanted. Just do your job. Make sure Eren is secure. I want him by Mike's side all day"  
"He's staying with Hanji"  
"Hanji isn't his Squad Leader"  
"No, but he's fucking sick from the smell. Hanji wants him with her"  
"I don't care what Hanji wants. He's staying with Mike"  
Mumbling a "fuck you" to Erwin, Levi left the man to deal with the mess. He didn't see anything out of the normal. No paw prints. No bare foot prints. Just boot prints. None of the other tents seemed affected. Just the one, which in it's self was weird. The tent wasn't close to the forest or to the river. It was nestled between the Military Police camp and the Garrison Regiment camp, which both were clearly divided from the Survey Corps. Shaking his head, Levi kept walking.

Eren was cooking breakfast, Hanji sitting beside him as she poked at the fire with a stick, while Moblit was packing for them  
"Hanji, Erwin needs to see you"  
"Great. What does he want?"  
"Ignore her. She's mad that I took over making breakfast"  
"I didn't mean to set your shirt on fire"  
"Riiight. What happened?"  
"Animal attack"  
Eren sighed  
"Seriously?"  
"Yeah"  
"Damn. That's rough... Do they know who it was? Or how it happened? Are they ok?"  
"Erwin's taking care of it. He wants you to stay by Mike today"  
"Because I'm a suspect"  
"I already told him it wasn't you"  
"And sleeping with me doesn't make you biased"  
"Trust me. There is no way you could of done that. No one even noticed until they found... what was left"  
"I don't think I want breakfast anymore"  
Hanji shook her head, placing her hand on his shoulder   
"You need to eat. I know you're still nauseous, but you need the energy and nutrients. Moblit, we'll go check in with Erwin"  
"At least let him have breakfast"  
"If it's too gross, he's just going to vomit"  
Eren whined softly, hanging his head   
"Can we not talk about vomiting?"  
"Still no better?"  
"I was, until you all started talking about vomiting again"  
"Did you drink your herbs?"  
"No, they're steeping in the hot water. Hanji said to just keep sipping on it instead of water today"  
"Just make sure you do. Fuck, this has a shit day"  
Finally sitting down next to Eren, Levi wrapped his arm around his shoulder   
"You know I know you had nothing to do with this, right?"  
"Yeah. But it would have been nice to have a normal mission"  
"This mission was never going to be normal. Even Mike's finding it tough. That's probably why Erwin's pairing you with him, so you can help each other with the scents"  
"I know you're lying, but I'll take it"  
"Has he been helping you distinguish scents?"  
"Levi. You don't need to change the topic. I get it. I really do. It's ok. I'll do my job"  
"Just let me try and make you feel a little better"  
"You already do"  
"That's my cue to help Moblit. Levi, we'll just leave your gear there..."  
"No, he's going to get dressed while I make breakfast"  
"Oooooh! Someone got told"  
"People who accidentally set other people on fire, have no right to comment on other people's relationships"  
"I said I was sorry"  
"You didn't look very sorry while you were laughing"  
"I am"  
"Shitty Glasses, go see Erwin. We can't leave until you've taken a look"  
"Fine, but his isn't over. Eren's cooking dinner tonight"  
"Why? I'm on breakfast, not dinner"  
"But I'm not eating breakfast..."  
"All the more reason to leave already"  
"Just because you want to feed on Eren..."  
"I'm not feeding on him, not while he's sick"  
"Would you both shut up and get ready, already!"  
"I think we made him mad"  
"We definitely made him mad"  
Kissing Eren's cheek, his boyfriend huffed, giving him a quick peck on the lips before turning back to breakfast  
"I hate both of you"  
"We know. We love you too"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly kept going... then realised how long it was getting...


	31. Chapter 31

Three nights passed without another attack. Eren was still as sick as a dog, and honestly he just wanted to ride in the back of the supply cart. But funnily enough, that wasn't considered a punishment. Levi had tried to convince the fluffybrowed arsehole, but Erwin wouldn't approve it, despite the fact he'd manage to projectile vomit while riding his horse, nearly taking Mike out in the process. Mike had sent him to ride in the cart for the rest of the day, but Erwin had damn near lost his mind over it. Yelling at him in front of everyone to get his act together. He was trying. He was really trying. He was doing absolutely everything Hanji had told him to, and he was keep a low profile so as not to upset anyone. It didn't stop the rumours though. The whispers and the glares. The way they wouldn't even ride near him. He was being shunned just as badly as before Erwin's night manoeuvre exercises. Everyone suspected him, even before it was revealed the victim was the same guy who'd taken a swing at him. The arsehole that was Erwin, had proved he was dick once again, deciding he now had to wear his chains at night. He also wasn't allowed to make camp in camp. He had to sleep between Mike's tent and Hanji's, with his very handsy boyfriend. Levi wouldn't quit touching him. The moment he collapsed onto his bedroll, his alpha was on him, insisting on running his hands over each inch of him, until he just had to come... which he wasn't great at doing silently or even quietly. It was a bittersweet torture. He loved the feeling of Levi's hands. He loved the intimacy of sex. He loved falling asleep in Levi's arms. He loved Levi... but when they had to stop midway through because he needed to vomit, it was kind of embarrassing. So was having Hanji just stick her head in the tent and straight up ask if he was alright. Not even caring when Levi was still very much naked behind him. And to cap it off... Mike had given them both absolute shit. He could smell them. One look and the man had Eren blushing like an idiot, while Levi didn't care. No, his alpha seemed proud that Eren was covered in his scent. Annoyed over Levi's constant attention, and Mike's obscenely sharp nose, Eren had finally snapped. The moment they'd stopped to make camp, he was off, shameless hiding in Armin's stupidly small tent, wedged between his friend and for some reason Mikasa, who there really wasn't space for. He knew he couldn't spend the whole night there, but for a few hours, he could just hang out and be a normal teenager. He could just forget about all the crap going on around him. He could forget the fact he was a monster. He could just sit there and reminisce over the old times. The smell of the camp was so much easier to handle now, his nose adjusting faster than his stomach, especially since the smell of rotting meat was gone. Hannes even seeking him out to apologise once again for the smell, giving him the feeling either Mikasa or Armin had blabbed to the man that he was making him sick. With the apology out the way, it'd been pretty, even Connie, Sasha and Jean had stopped by to chat. Sasha had stolen meat from the officers stores, and nearly eaten Connie when he'd tried to steal a slice. Laughing and talking shit, the hours flew by, they probably would have kept talking until sunrise, but Levi got tired of waiting for him to show. His boyfriend tracking him down with a very sorry looking Mike, before all but dragging him back to their tent... and insisting on giving him a very thorough examination...

That night would have been perfect, if not for the fact the following morning, they were woken to screaming again. Another member of their expedition had been found dead, once again a victim of "an animal attack". It wasn't long before he was blamed all over again, despite the fact he emerged from his tent wearing his chains and collar, to which only Erwin had the key. It was impossible for him to dress or undress himself while confined to them, but no one wanted to hear it. Declaring it to be "for his own safety", Erwin finally gave him permission to ride in the supply cart with Hanji. Hanji was thrilled, while now that he had permission to do what he wanted, Eren wanted nothing more than to ride his own horse and show them he had nothing to hide.

After another long day of travelling, being tortured to near death by boredom, aka, Hanji and her ideas, they finally came to a stop. They were nearly halfway there, so the plan was to set up more sophisticated holdings for the already captured wolves of Hanji's mind. Unable to help, his job was to stay out of sight and mind, Erwin only appearing long enough to undo the chains around his ankles, and to scowl at him so hard his eyes were hidden by his eyebrows. If someone told him that they were some kind of supernatural being, he wouldn't be surprised. They just seemed to keep growing and growing. With nothing to do, Eren wandered away from camp, with hopes of finding somewhere nice and quite to camp while they were there. Only, life wasn't so kind to the teen.

Sitting by the base of a large oak, Eren heard the voices. His skin prickled as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. His instincts were screaming at him to shift and run, but his stubbornness told him to stay. Emerging between the trees, Eren frowned at the group of youths. He vaguely recognised them, but he honestly couldn't place them   
"You!"  
Throwing his hand out, the leader of their little group stopped the dopey looking teen to his left side  
"What do we have here? A little monster? All of his own?"  
Great. It was going to be like that, and he couldn't even defend himself  
"What do you want?"  
"Who said you could talk to us?"  
"You obviously want something. You wouldn't come all the way out here if you didn't"  
"You think you're so fucking special, don't you. "Humanities hope". I don't see anything special about you"  
"I'm not special"  
"No. You just get special treatment because that little freak rams that arse of yours every night"  
Growling, Eren jumped to his feet. His chains straining as he tried to regain his temper. Laughing on his face, the front teen drew his blades, while his pack didn't the same   
"Look at him! You disgusting freak! You killed our friends and they just let you get away with it! You make me fucking sick! It should have been you!"  
"I didn't kill your friends!"  
"Like we'd believe anything that you said! That should have killed you from this start!"  
Well... fuck...  
"But once we bring your head back, we're going to be heroes"  
Shit. Shit. SHIT! They weren't joking. He could smell their anger. They were serious. Fuck! Looking around, he realised could either shift or run. If he shifted, they'd claim self-defence... where the fuck was his clingy boyfriend when he actually   
needed him?! As they started towards him, he bolted.

He would have had the advantage without the chains and collar. The tight metal rubbing his skin raw, pulling memories he really didn't need to the surface. Dodging and weaving, he stood no chance against their manoeuvre gear as blade nicked the back of his leg, sending him sprawling to the ground. Scurrying to roll over, and escape at the same time, the next blade slid effortlessly through his hand  
"Why are you doing this?!"  
"Because you killed our friends!"  
"I didn't kill your friends! I was nowhere near them!"  
"Liar!"  
Whimpering, the teen with his blade in Eren's hand, raised his other blade swinging down in a fluid movement. Screaming on pain, blood gushed from the wound across his chest  
"You don't get to cry! You brought this on yourself for being born!"  
"I didn't do it"  
"Dude, maybe..."  
"Shut the fuck up! We all agreed on this!"  
Using the blade he'd just used to slice through his chest, the teen thrust forward, driving into his right shoulder, Eren screaming again  
"That should hold him"  
"Please. I didn't hurt them. I promise..."  
"Dude..."  
"Don't fucking chicken out on me! You saw what he did! There was nothing left of them!"  
"But..."  
"Give me your blade"  
"What?"  
"Give me your fucking blade!"  
Grabbing it from the guy who was trying to stop him, Eren screamed as he plunged it down, over and over. Tearing his hand almost in two as he tried to protect himself from the onslaught. When the blade snapped, the teen just started kicking the shit out of him. His vision blurry from tears and blood loss, as he weakly tried to beg for his life   
"That's enough! You're going to kill him!"  
"You're sick, man!"  
Grabbed around the waist, the teen was hauled back by his friends. Whimpering, his body finally took notice to the fact he was no longer being stabbed. With his broken hand, he ripped the blade from his shoulder, throwing it weakly away, before shifting. Taking one look at him, they fled, leaving him to drag his body towards camp. His collar now too tight for him to draw a real breath.

 

*  
His brat was missing. Erwin had been "generous" enough to undo the shackles around Eren's ankles, so he could stretch his legs, but now Eren had been unsupervised for the better part of two hours and he couldn't fight down the feeling that something awful had happened. Everyone was on edge. None of them had expected a second body, certainly not with the lack of wolves they'd encountered. Seeking out Mike, the man had his hands full directing his team on trap construction. With a sniff, all he was able to do was point Levi in the general direction of the forest.

The moment he stepped into the forest, he could smell it from all directions. Eren's blood. His stomach dropped as he fired his anchors, landing nimbly on the thickest of the lowest branches available  
"Eren!"  
Fuck. He'd fucking known something like this could happen! He knew it! He'd been stuck dealing with his own team, and hadn't been able to get away sooner. They wanted to surprise Eren, and do something small to make him feel better. He should have just blown them off  
"Eren!"  
Firing, he flung himself forward, following the scent of blood  
"Eren! Answer me!"  
Hidden in the forest shadows, he nearly missed his wobbling wolf. Unexpected tears of anger and relief filled his eyes as he moved to land a few metres in front of Eren, so as not to startle him. Covered in blood, his fur was matted, his whole body on an almost unnatural slant   
"Eren!"  
Raising his head with a pained whine, his brat hobbled towards him as Levi fell to his knees. Coming up to his limp extended hand, Eren nuzzled against his palm affectionately, almost as if he was smiling at him, before immediately collapsing  
"Eren!"  
Watching his chest, he realised it wasn't rising enough. His boyfriend couldn't get enough air! Grabbing the collar, he couldn't even get his a grip on it, the metal was biting too hard into his omega's skin  
"Eren, please! You need to shift back! I can't get this undone!"  
Whimpering, Eren shuddered, like he'd actually tried  
"Fuuuck!"  
Screaming the word, his fingers slipped over the lock, his tears flowing even faster. He couldn't lose him!   
"No... please... no..."  
Grabbing his blade, he tried to lever it between the collar and Eren's neck, only succeeding in snapping the blade and embedding in Eren's shoulder, his boyfriend silently howling in pain   
"I'm sorry! Please, please hold on!"  
Lifting Eren into his arms, his omega's teeth bit into his shoulder, which he probably deserved  
"You're ok. You'll be ok. I'll get you to Hanji. She can help"

Reckless with his manoeuvre gear, he was blind with worry as he landed badly, his ankle cracking painfully, causing him to stumble. Nearly dropping his precious lover. Gritting his aching teeth, he started forwards to where he'd last seen Hanji, everyone parting in fear as they approached. Eren's chest barely rising against his. He was murderous. Someone had intentionally done this. Someone had tried to take Eren from him. He wanted to rip them l shreds. He wanted to feel their bones crunch beneath his hands. He wanted to watch them bleed out. Watch the light vanish from their eyes. He'd waited his whole life for Eren. Every single shitty day was now worth it all. He loved him. He didn't care that they couldn't have kids. He didn't care that Eren could shift. He didn't even care if he could never feed from him again. He loved him. He loved his bullheadedness. His bluntness. His never changing dream to kill all the werewolves. He loved the fact the kid no longer cowered from him. He loved the fact he'd pull him up on his shit. Every little bit, even when he was being a fucking brat. He loved him.

Covered in blood, Levi's tears dripped onto Eren's face. His body shaking harder and harder as he tried to keep it together. He was nearly at Hanji. The others had to have heard by now  
"Captain Levi!"  
Looking up, Moblit was in front of him  
"Get Erwin. He can't fucking breathe"  
He'd actually found the words. He'd actually found the words to get Eren help  
"Squad Leader, Hanji!"  
His eyes flitted around the crowd, Hanji running towards him, her steps faltering as he finally reached him   
"Levi! No... is that... please tell me that's not Eren"  
"He... he can't breathe"  
"Ok. He's going to be ok. We need to get him to the supply cart. Can you carry him?"  
Nodding mutely, he found himself following Hanji. The world around him felt... blank. He knew it was there, but he couldn't care less about it. Eren was dying. Eren was dying and he'd done nothing to help. 

Reaching the cart, Levi physically couldn't let Eren go. Snarling at Hanji when she tried to take him. Finally fucking appearing, Erwin's eyes widened at the sight, trying to push him away. This was his fault. Grabbed by the shoulders, Eren was pulled from his arms. Levi lunging for him, his mind unable to process the fact Hanji and Erwin were trying to get the collar off, and he was in the way. It seemed to take forever before he was able to shove Erwin aside, hefting himself up and crawling to Eren's side. Lifting his head into his lap, he cradled his omega as he sobbed  
"Levi!"  
"Fuck off..."  
"Levi, stop! You're making it worse!"  
Taking his hand, by force, Hanji placed it on Eren's side. The kid's chest finally rising and falling   
"He..."  
"He's alive, and I need your help to get him cleaned up. Erwin needs to get the cuffs around his legs off"  
He'd forgotten about them... lowering his knees, Erwin lifted Eren's paws onto them, the cuffs just that bit too small to slide off. Throwing the chains to the ground, Erwin started yelling at the gathered group, while Moblit climbed into the back of the cart, dropping covering and hiding them from prying eyes  
"What happened?"  
"They went after him. Levi, I need you to hold him still. Moblit, I need more light. I can't tell where all this fresh blood is coming from"

Without her shears, the couldn't clean his wounds properly. The more severe ones had healed, while the less severe were still in the process. His left hand leg, arm, was broken, the bones having to be set. Hanji suspected his ribs were also broken, but trying to deal with everything while in his wolf form had her hesitant. If he shifted back, he'd undo everything she'd done. Moved to the front end of the carts tray, Hanji had covered the floor with enough blankets for Eren to be comfortable  
"Levi, Moblit and I are going to see how things are going. I want you to keep an any on him. He's probably going to be feverish, so if he get's too warm, use the cold water to bring his fever down. His body is fighting hard heal. He's going to be frightened, and confused. So it's better we aren't there when he wakes. We'll be back to check on him later, but I'm sure he's going to be ok"  
Hanji was game trying to talk to him. Especially given his state of mind. His anger threatened to bring his other side to the surface. Giving her the barest of nods, he stared down at Eren's bloody face. His beautiful brat wasn't supposed to look like this. Waiting until Hanji and Moblit left, Levi then leant in, using his tongue to lap at the blood. He needed it off. His instincts almost animalistic as he lapped at the healing wounds. Nuzzling against his muzzle, he kissed Eren's protruding tooth, whispering how sorry he was. He's supposed to protect him. He was supposed to be safe... instead, he'd nearly died and left him behind.

 

*  
Eren shifted back in his sleep, Levi had stayed up all night watching him, before the adrenaline had finally ebbed away, leaving him to fall asleep across his brat. Waking to Eren's a fingers in his hair, his eyes widen as he pushed himself up  
"Eren..."  
Fuck. Shitty fucking tears were forming again  
"Hey... you look like shit"  
Snorting, Levi nodded  
"So do you"  
"I feel like it"  
"I thought you were going to die"  
"And leave you for someone else, not happening"  
"Shitty brat"  
Eren's eyes filled with tears, reaching his left hand towards him, Levi leant back down, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend as Eren started to sob  
"I was so fucking scared"  
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner"  
"I thought I was going to die"  
"You didn't. You didn't die. Don't make think about it"  
Nuzzling into his neck, Levi turned, pressing a desperate kiss to Eren's lips. His brat was alive. Warm and alive. Kissing deeply, Eren was the one who finally broke the kiss  
"I'm sorry"  
"No. You've done nothing wrong. You lost a lot of blood and you need to rest"  
"I don't want to close my eyes"  
"I'm not going anywhere. Are you warm enough? You feel cold"  
"It is cold"  
"Ok, I think Hanji left us blankets"  
Looking around, he found the pile just out of his reach. Leaning back, Eren started to whine  
"I'm just getting a blanket, I promise"  
"I'm cold"  
"I know... got it"  
With the blanket in his hold, he pulled the fabric up and over Eren, rolling the teen so he was now laying over him as he settled them down. With his arm around Levi's waist and his head against his chest, Levi kissed Eren's hair, not ready for his omega to fall back to sleep. That didn't stop him though, Eren nuzzling into his chest before slipping back to sleep. It just blew his mind that anyone could want him dead or want to hurt him. His boyfriend probably didn't even fight back... fucking cowards. Erwin better have dealt with them, by feeding them to the wolves, or he was going to do it himself.

The next time his boyfriend woke, Eren was feverish and vomiting. His boyfriend too weak to hold himself up, and passed out as soon as he was done. Spending the rest of the day drifting in and out of consciousness, but always letting him know when he woke, by pressing a kiss to his chest. Hanji came by to check on them around sunset, mostly to help clean up, and to also be annoyingly and oddly secretive about what was happening in the outside world.

He didn't end up finding anything out until the second day after the incident. Waking to his bright eyed brat needing help getting out the cart so he could going to the toilet. Despite his exhaustion, he'd even shifting to make things easier in terms of clean up. Taking care of his own business, Eren had just returned to his side, not that Levi had gone that far from him, just far enough for a little privacy, when they walked straight into Erwin. The man was lucky he didn't tear his head off. Eren's wet nose firmly nudging his hand, as he dropped to sit, a whimper coming from his lips  
"How is he?"  
"Still fucking healing"  
"I didn't know this was going to happen"  
"Bullshit. You saw this coming!"  
"What the fuck did you want me to do about it!? I... I already moved him off the front line. I tried to hide him as much of the front assault as I could for your sake. Yes. We all knew this wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't expect them to try and murder him. And none of us expected these "attacks", so stop looking at me like that"  
"You're so full of shit. You moved him for my sake? You couldn't care less about him"  
"I care about you...!"  
Well. Fuck. He knew that much was true  
"I was hoping to ask Eren about the group who attacked him"  
"He's not up to it. He could barely get up to take a shit"  
"Look. I just need to know how many there were"  
"You still haven't caught them?"  
"Eren, can you tell us how many there were?"  
Erwin stood waiting, not even realising Eren was trying to as he pawed at Levi's leg  
"6? There were 6 of them?"  
Nuzzling his hand, Eren licked his palm   
"Do I want to know how you just did that?"  
"It's nothing to do with being a vampire, if that's what you're asking. He was pawing at my leg"  
"Oh..."  
Erwin deserved the moment of awkwardness his own stupidity gifted him  
"Are you going to tell us what this is about?"  
"We had another animal attack. 4 dead this time. All of them involved in what happened to Eren"  
"Eren didn't have anything to do with it"  
And now he wouldn't be telling any of them who was responsible. Not with 6 deaths in total, and all related to him in some way. If he hadn't said they were dead, they might have actually got something out of him... for a bright guy, Erwin didn't always use his head  
"I think we can all agree on that, but I think we can all also agree that something abnormal is happening here. No bone. No hair. No cartilage. Just tissue and blood"  
"And what do you want us to do about?"  
"Your job. Find out who's behind all of this and why"  
"Eren's fucking recovering"  
"I know that. But you're not. Mike will help you, as will the rest of your team. We move out tomorrow, so I expect you track down whoever else was involved in this, before they wind up dead"  
"What do expect me to do, when I do?"  
"I expect you to bring them to me"  
Eren whined, head butting at his leg as he did. He didn't want this going any further, but now he was torn. He didn't want them hurt, but he didn't want to dob them in  
"It's alright. For you, I won't"  
Licking his palm, Eren let out a small rumble, leaving Levi to translate   
"He doesn't want them dead"  
"That's something"

Returning to the cart, Levi helped Eren back up. His boyfriend didn't want to shift back, and he really couldn't blame him. Settling him down in the corner, Eren placed his paws on Levi's shoulder while licking at his face   
"I know. I know! Because you asked, I won't do anything. No matter how much I want too. While I'm gone, I want you stay here and be safe. Promise me"  
Nodding, Eren whined softy. Wrapping his arms around him, Levi filled his senses with his omega's scent. He hadn't even left, yet he already missed him. Ruffling his fur between his ears, in the way he knew Eren loved   
"Good, brat. If I see the others, I'll send them in. I don't want you to be alone"  
Huffing, Eren let him go, his whole body seemed to sigh at him. Padding over into his corner, the cheeky shit turning his back to him as he settled down. His tail betraying his mood as it thumped against the wooden floor happily.


	32. Chapter 32

Hiding half against Petra, Eren was trying his hardest to look as sad and pathetic as possible. Levi had gone to work on this new case, which should have meant he could go back to sleep. A sane person would have let him sleep through his anxieties and fears of being separated. They wouldn't have ignored his warning growls, or the baring of his teeth. But no one had ever called Hanji sane. Instead, someone had dobbed him into Hanji, not only telling her he was awake, but he was without his short and ill tempered alpha. As far as he could remember, Hanji had only checked on him twice, and both times, Levi barely kept his anger in check, Hanji wary to an unusual degree as Levi openly glared at her. Since waking, his mate had been by his side. He'd helped him clean up after he vomited. He'd nursed his fever. He'd held him as he cried out his fear. He'd even hefted him around in his wolf form, which was kind of hilarious given the size difference. Levi hadn't faltered once, nor complained about all the shitty mess he'd made. He knew how badly Levi had been shaken by everything. His proud alpha had never broken down into tears like he had since Eren woke. To the teen, it felt like Levi himself had been just as physically broken as he'd been. He hated this. He hated being stuck out here. Having no real privacy or place where he spend time healing Levi's wounded heart, like his alpha had healed his. He wanted to make Levi laugh and smile again, instead of seeing that haunted look in his eyes, or least bring back his alpha's fiery temper. He missed his banter. He missed him swearing. He missed the word "shitty". He just wanted to be with Levi, back in their room in the castle where they could themselves. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Especially not with Hanji, and not with a very concerned Petra clinging onto him... 

"Eren, can you please just cooperate? You know I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you shift back so I can give you a physical"  
That would have been fine if he could stand the idea of being touched. His mind was making stupid jumps. Any touch that wasn't Levi's was bad. Anyone who wasn't Levi was going to hurt him. Even Petra's gentle hold around his shoulders was bordering on sending him into a panic. And none of this was taking into account the needle Hanji was brandishing a little too happily  
"I don't think he believes you"  
"The needle's just a shot to help his bodily functions after losing so much blood"  
Huffing, Eren wasn't having it  
"Stop being stubborn. Levi's been a wreck over all of this. You know that"  
That wasn't playing fair  
"Hanji, I know you two usually get on well. But right now, he's shaking like a leaf"  
"I need to make sure he's healing. If he'd just stop fighting me, it would have been over by now"  
That was easy for her to say. She hadn't nearly been stabbed to death  
"Maybe you should wait until Levi returns?"  
"I can't wait until Levi returns. Every time I touch Eren, he looks like he's going to rip me apart"  
"I've never seen him so distraught, even after Isabel and Farlan died, he never looked like that"  
"Well, they are dating. So it is to be expected. Now Eren, I don't want to have to tell Levi you've been misbehaving"  
She could tell him. He didn't mind. Levi would take one look at him and he'd know he was freaking out. Growling, he wriggled away from Petra, now half way between her and Hanji  
"Come on, there's a good boy"  
Eyeing the space to the left and to the right, he definitely wasn't about to be a good boy  
"Don't even think about it!"  
Lunging towards him, Eren darted right, covering the length of the carts tray in two long strides, before reaching freedom on the third  
"Eren! Get back here!"  
That wasn't happening. He wasn't letting Hanji stab him. He mentally couldn't take it, and she really should have known that. Making a mad dash through the camp, the two women chased after him, Hanji screaming out that he was "a little shit" as he ran.

Having run through the camp like he was insane, Eren had finally caught Levi's scent, and managed to put some distance between himself and the two screaming women, skidding as rounded the last corner, his eyes widened as his prize came into view. Levi. Finally. Finally he was going to be safe from Hanji! Barreling along, Levi only has a split second before Eren launched himself on him, flattening his boyfriend in a single leap  
"Dammit, Eren!"  
"Get back here!"  
Oh fuck no. He'd worked for his freedom. Jumping off Levi, he darted behind him, nudging at his back with his nose as he whimpered  
"Eren! What the hell was that?!"  
Out of breath, Hanji and Petra stumbled to a stop, both leaning down to lean on their knees as they panted  
"What the fuck did you do to him, Shitty Glasses? He's fucking scared"  
"Nothing! I wanted to give him an examination!"  
Eren huffed  
"What else?"  
"What do you mean what else?"  
"He wouldn't have just run if it was a simple examination"  
"Perhaps it was the needle?"  
"You waved a needle in his fucking face?! Are you serious?"  
"He lost a lot of blood. It's just a supplement shot"  
"Hanji. He was nearly stabbed to death. His wrists were in chains and he couldn't escape. Did you ever stop to think he wasn't up to needles?"  
"But I'm trying to help him!"  
"You can help him without scaring the fuck out of him!"  
"No sharp things around Eren. He's not up to it. He shouldn't even be running around"  
Nodding, Eren had definitely made the right choice by running to Levi. He wasn't ready to shift back, he just felt too weak and vulnerable in his human state. Besides, his human body hurt so much more than his wolf one  
"If he'd shift back, he could have told me"  
"He was nearly murdered Hanji. He's not ok, and you should know that"  
"I do! But I need to do a full examination. I need to make sure his bones have healed properly and there's no chance of infection setting in!"  
Wrapping his left arm around him, Levi leant in close  
"I know you don't like it. I don't like it either, but we do need to make sure you're ok. If Hanji promises no needles or sharp things, will you let her take a look at you?"  
Licking Levi's face, his boyfriend sighed at him, wiping his slobber off  
"Alright. And if you're not up to shifting back, don't. I'm sorry I have to work, but Mike has some idea who was in the forest with you. I'm waiting for Erwin and Gunther to come back"  
Nodding, Eren then head butted Levi's chest. His alpha scratching his head with a smile on his lips   
"I shouldn't be too much longer. You two, don't upset him. He'll let you examine him, as long as you don't get too carried away. Petra, make sure she doesn't use anything sharp, and don't touch his wrists or his neck"  
"Eren, I'm sorry. We should have taken it slower. I really have been worried about you"  
Thanks for the guilt trip Petra... he knew she worried, but she'd been Hanji's accomplice  
"Just be careful with him. If he starts growling, leave him alone"  
Hanji nodded quickly  
"No needles. No knives and no growling"  
"Is that right?"  
He wasn't sure about her comment on no growling, but licked Levi's face again  
"Ok, brat. Go be safe. I love you, and I'll be back as soon as I can"  
He what?! What? Wait... he loved him? Since when?! And why didn't even seem to even noticed the bombshell he'd dropped! Filled with happiness, Eren shoved Levi down, pinning him with paws as he happily licked his alpha's face  
"Enough! Stop it! Your breath stinks! Eren, seriously, calm down"  
Not caring, Eren jumped back, yipping as he bounced back forth with pure joy  
"I think you broke him"  
"I think so too. Calm down and go with Hanji"  
Darting in, Eren was so close to getting that final lick in, but Levi caught him by the shoulders   
"No more for now. Ok?"  
Sticking his tongue out, Levi snorted at him  
"You're such a fucking brat"

 

*  
With the two shitty arsewipes who'd hurt Eren in custody, Levi was finally returning to his brat. Erwin hadn't been too happy about Eren's very public display of affection. Levi couldn't find the fucks to give. Eren had stunk of fear when he'd come running up to him, but suddenly he'd snapped midway through, hyping up and covering his face in sloppy drooling kisses, that only he could get away with. Climbing into the cart, he found Eren sleeping, sprawled out of his back with all four legs in the air. The kid was a shit. His adorable shit. And the whole reason two of the people who'd tried to kill him were now safely contained. Even if it was a struggle not rip their throats out, especially after seeing the location Eren was attacked. Blood was everywhere. Eren's fear still lingering. Parts of his uniform. He wanted to show them the same barbaric experience they'd put Eren through, except Erwin said no. It was revolting. Three snapped blades laid discarded, the trash hadn't even thought to clean up after themselves. They'd both be facing charges if they managed keep their heads long enough to get back to Trost.

Stripping off his gear, Levi smiled as Eren yawned, flopping to his side as his tail started to thump   
"Yes. I missed you too. Let me get something out for dinner. Then we'll eat. I don't suppose you feel like shifting back"  
The thudding slowed  
"You don't have to. I mean. How are you feeling?"  
Eren huffed  
"That good? We caught up with the last two involved in the attack on you. Erwin's taken them into his custody, and they'll be facing charges when we get back to Trost"   
Huffing again, Eren followed it up by letting out a wet whine, throwing up roughly a teaspoons worth of vomit as he did  
"Eren, did you tell Hanji you're still not doing better?"  
Shaking his head, his boyfriend looked at mess  
"You need to tell her. I know you're not comfortable shifting back, but we can't ignore you being sick. I can't ignore the fact you're still sick"  
Grabbing an already dirty piece of cloth, Levi wiped the mess up  
"I'm serious. I know you're shaken, but I need to know you're ok. I'm back on the front lines tomorrow. I can't do my job if I'm worrying over you"  
Which he was going to be doing anyway... with a long groan, his boyfriend shifted back  
"I'll be ok"  
"I'm worried about you"  
"And I just told you I'll be ok. I'm just... sore from what happened"  
"Still?"  
"Yeah... it hurts more being in my human form than it does being a wolf"  
"You probably need to spend more time in your human form to heal properly"  
"Maybe... Can we not fight? I don't have the strength"  
"Alright. But what did Hanji say?"  
"Before or after she tried to come at me with a needle?"  
"Both"  
"She cornered me after letting Petra climb in first. Just looking at the needle made me feel sick. Thinking of using my blades... I don't know what to do"  
"Let's eat dinner, then you can snuggle into me. As much as I like your wolf form, I miss holding you properly"  
"I... I know. It's just... I feel so weak. I didn't even fight back. I couldn't fight back"  
"That's not your fault. Erwin put those chains on you"  
"But... Levi, I begged them... I begged them not to"  
"I know you did. They told us how it all went down"  
"I don't want to see them again"  
"You're a not going to. Why don't you rearrange our bed while I take care of the food side of things"  
"I don't think I can eat. My stomach feels gross"  
"You can't not eat"  
"I'll try in the morning. Right now, I just want you with me"  
"I'm already with you"  
"I mean... please. You can feed, but just don't let me go"  
"I'll stick to the vials until you're feeling better. You really did lose a lot of blood"  
"Okay"  
Fuck. Why did the brat have to sound so sad?! He was only doing what was best for him right now. That's all he ever wanted to do  
"Eren, you know I care about you, don't you? You've had another major trauma, and you nearly died. I can't feed. I can't do that to you"  
"But I want it"  
"You were scared of Hanji with a needle. My teeth are sharper than that"  
"If it's for you, I'd so anything"  
"I know you would. Go on, straighten out our bed"  
Eren sniffled, his hands moving to the blankets before stopping  
"Hanji told Petra that we're dating"  
"She did?"  
"Yeah... are you mad?"  
"Why would I be mad?"  
"Because Petra had feelings for you"  
"That was never a thing. Besides, I think everyone knows I'm dating you now. Especially after earlier's display of affection"  
"That was... I wasn't... I was too fucking scared to think of anything apart from getting to you. My stupid head keeps going back to being tortured... and I feel like everyone except you is a risk... I hate it. I hate what they did to me! I don't want to remember"  
Abandoning his hunt for his vials, Levi climbed over to Eren's side, wrapping his arms around his love   
"Hey. I known it's shit. But it doesn't change how I feel about you"  
"It would be fine if it was just me. But you're hurting too! I hate it. I couldn't live up to your expectations. I couldn't fight back. I couldn't and I nearly died..."  
"I'm only like this because I'm worried about you. I only kept my head because of you. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to gut them and watch them slowly die. I... they're alive because you're more of a person that I could ever be"  
"They were scared. They only followed him because they were scared... but it hurt!"  
"I know... I know and it's not fair, come here"  
Manhandling Eren so he was laying along the top of him, one arm was wrapped around Eren's waist, his hand on Eren's hip, while his other hand played with the teen's hair  
"Shhhh. It's ok. They aren't worth your tears"  
"I didn't even do anything to them!"  
"I know"  
"I don't want to see them"  
"You're not going to. Like I said, Erwin is handling it all"  
"Because he's a great fucking help"  
"He's learned his lesson"  
"Yay. I'm so happy my near slaughter was useful for something"  
Eren's tone was so bitter that Levi couldn't help but snarl in response. He didn't want to think about what else had been going through Eren's mind at the time of the attack, or since. As it was, Levi had the feeling Erwin was going to be dragged before Zackley and forced to justify his actions, so for now, he wished Eren would just focus on the fact they were together  
"If you're not going to eat, you should sleep. We're moving out tomorrow"  
"I don't want to sleep. I don't want to do anything"  
"Is that so?"  
"I just want to go back to the castle. I don't want to see Shinganshima flattened. I want to remember how it was, not how it is now... I don't want Hanji to keep poking at me. I don't want to see anyone else dead or hear about these "not animal attacks". I'm so fucking tired of it"  
"What happened to that dream of yours, killing all the werewolves so humanity can be free?"  
Snapping, Eren shoved himself out of his hold  
"Fuck you. First you tell me you fucking love me, than you're an arsehole to me. I've been worried about you, and for what?! So you can make fun of me! I'm glad I'm such a fucking joke to you!"  
What. The. Fuck. Was. This?!  
"Eren?"  
"No. Fuck you"  
Curling up at the opposite end of the blankets, Eren dissolved back into sobs, while Levi was still trying to figure out just what he fuck had happened. He hadn't said anything out of the ordinary... and even if he couldn't actually remember letting it slip that he loved Eren, he boyfriend couldn't possibly be mad over it. In the space of a few seconds he went from worried, to confused, to hurt and finally to angry  
"What the fuck is your problem? First you're all over me. Then your fucking yelling at me, now you're fucking crying because you think I was making fun of you?! In case you fucking forgot, I've been by your side since you got attacked! I fucking found you and carried you across the camp to get you help. And now you're getting shitty at me, and I don't even know why?! Fuck this. Grow the fuck up, you shitty brat"  
Snatching up his gear, Levi stormed from cart. He still didn't get what had set Eren off, but with his omega so angry at him... well, he probably hadn't the situation the best he could have, so now he had no choice but to put some space between them... a whole whopping 5 centimetres... as he rounded the cart and climbed up onto the cart's bench seat. His brat didn't know he was there. There was a thick layer of canvas between them. And he could hear anything Eren said or what he got up to, without actually having to look at him.

After half an hour, Levi's anger had turned back to worry. Eren had sobbed himself out, while he'd cruelly left him alone. He wanted to go back to the teen and apologise, but at the same time, he didn't want to get into another fight, because he still couldn't figure out what he'd said wrong. Maybe it was just his hormones? Combined with stress? Rubbing at his face tiredly, he supposed he should probably get some rest. Sighing as he pushed his shit out the way, Levi tried to get comfortable on the cold wooden bench.

Still awake, Levi felt the side of the cart dip, before hearing the soft padding of Eren's feet on the grass. Climbing up to sit beside him, his brat nuzzled into his face, both of his ridiculously cold hands cupping his face  
"I'm sorry for snapping at you"  
"No. I shouldn't have snapped back"  
"I had a really shit time with Hanji, and she teased me nonstop. Even Petra got annoyed at her. You teasing me... it just got under my skin"  
Shitty Glasses should have fucking known better. Eren didn't need to be made even shittier right now. Opening his eyes, Eren's were still wet as he stared down at him  
"Do I need to hunt her down?"  
"No. It'll be fine... Can you come to bed with me?"  
"Sure"

Coming to bed wasn't exactly what happened. It was more like coming all over their bed. His brat stripping down and stretching, as Levi stripped his own clothes off, like the shitty tease he was. Arching and waving his perfect pert arse as he straightened out invisible wrinkles in their blanket, throwing small hums out of as if he was actually thinking about what he was doing. Sopping wet with slick, Eren had been irresistible and insatiable. Fucking him over and over, his omega took it all, and begged for more, his love swollen with his seed as they collapsed into a tangle of limbs, outside the canvas, the morning sun was rising. Purring in his arms, Eren had the cheesiest smile on his face, completely blissed out. Whispering against him, as it if was both amazing and a secret, Eren's fighting spirit had come back  
"If that was make up sex, let's fight more often"  
"No. That was "you're a horny little shit" sex"  
"Oh. I guess. I'm not going to complain"  
"I might. I have to work today. You get to stay here"  
"I don't think I can fucking move"  
"I'd be disappointed if you could"  
Kissing him again, Eren tried to deepen it, Levi swatting away the teens hand as it started to wander up his abs  
"Mmmm. Hey, do think you can convince Erwin that we need to stop for lunch?"  
"Do I want to know why?"  
"Because I want to see you?"  
"You just want sex"  
"Possibly..."  
Dipping his head again, Levi pressed a quick kiss to Eren's soft lips, loving the way the brat pouted  
"You'll have to wait until tonight. I don't want to be riding into battle with raging boner"  
Snorting, Eren nodded, finally letting his hand rest on Levi's chest  
"Ok. I can't argue with that. That hurts"  
"Mmm. I'm going to have a hard enough time as it is. We're both fucking filthy"  
"I know. I want to go take a bath in the river, but I don't want to cause any trouble"  
"Eren, fuck them. You're a soldier and an officer in the Survey Corps. You have every right to the same resources as everyone else"  
"I know. Will you come with me then?"  
"The water's going to be freezing"  
"I don't care. As long as I'm with you, I can do anything"  
"Shit, brat. Do you know what you do to me when say things like that?"  
"Maybe. I love you, Levi"  
Feeling his cheeks redden in an uncharacteristic blush, Levi pushed his lips to Eren's, rolling the teen back onto their blankets as he rutted up against him. His boyfriend had admitted he loved him. To his face. Without falling asleep two seconds later. Breaking the kiss, he stroked Eren's hair, the teen's expression heartbreakingly pure, despite the boner rubbing against his stomach  
"I love you too, shitty brat"  
"I thought you said we couldn't go another round?"  
"I said we couldn't at lunch... you're already so full from me"  
Eren nodded, both his hands moving to rub his stomach, as he bit his bottom lip  
"Do you think anyone else will be awake?"  
"Why?"  
"Because we're pretty loud and you know, the water's going to be cold"  
"Fuck brat. Do you never not thinks of sex? I'm too old to be fucking you in public like that"  
Laughing softly, Eren moved to sling his arms over Levi's shoulder  
"Fiiiiine. Just take me so I can have a bath then?"  
"I thought you wanted another round?"  
"I do... but for now, I guess I'll have to behave"  
"Do you know how?"  
"Not really..."

 

*  
Forced to split from main group, Levi's team was late back as it rendezvoused with the rest of the expedition. Having encouraged a lack of werewolves, they'd drawn them into the forest, using the elevated terrain to their advantage. Still, once they'd cut through their initial pack, a secondary pack had appeared. Riding into camp, it looked like they'd dealt with a wolf attack of their own. It was honestly a miracle they hadn't been attacked earlier. Spurring his horse towards where one of the carts laid in pieces, Hanji caught sight of him. Jumping up and down as she yelled his name. Walking over to her, the first thing out of her mouth was  
"Eren's ok! He's over by the river cleaning up"  
Nodding, he nudged his heels into his horse, turning to continue on to the rivers edge. His brat standing alone   
"Eren!"  
Dropping whatever he'd been holding into the river, his boyfriend rushed towards him, while Levi dismounted. Catching his brat as he threw his arms around him, he smiled as he inhaled Eren's event   
"Where were you?!"  
"I got caught up with some wolves we led away. What happened here?"  
"Small pack of mediums. They came out of nowhere... Erwin decided we're not stopping here tonight, but Hanji needs to reorganise the carts"  
"And you? You're alright?"  
"Yeah. I'm ok. She made me hang back while the others dealt with the werewolves"  
Nuzzling into his neck, Levi looked over his shoulder at the spot where his shifted had been standing  
"What were you doing?"  
"Hanji had me do a piss test. The whole "if it turned blue, it's an infection" kind of thing"  
"Oh... and?"  
"Not blue. No infection"  
"Good... At least somethings going right. Have you seen Erwin?"  
"He was with Mike. They were doing the round and making sure no one died"  
"I have to check in with him. If we're riding into the night, we need to update our schedules. Do you want to come with me?"  
"No. I don't want to get in the way, besides I've got to get back to Hanji"  
"Ok. I'll try and check in before we head out, but if I don't, I'll find you once we make camp"  
Eren nodded against him, before letting him go and forcing a smile   
"We both have work to do. It's ok. Just stay safe"  
Eren was acting funny  
"Eren..."  
"It's ok, Levi. I'm just relieved your alright. I was worried"  
"At least let me give you a ride back to Hanji"  
"No, I think I'll walk. I'll see you tonight"  
With that, his brat walked away. Levi had no idea how to processes what had happened.

Fortunately no one had been hurt in the attack. The cart took the brunt of damage, and the soldier driving the cart was shaken, but otherwise ok. As were the two shitwipes that fucked with Eren. Riding around the camp, he found Mikasa and the Coconut with Hannes and another guy Levi didn't recognise. Assuring them all that Eren was alright, he continued on to regroup with his own team.

Erwin had them ride half the night, the protection of the forest now left behind, with clear rolling hills as far as they could see... which wasn't very far at all, given how overcast the night was. Finally deciding it was too dangerous to continue in the dark, they were thankfully allowed to make camp. 

Instead of being with Hanji, Eren's friends had piled into the back of the cart, with their gear. Even Mike was there, giving him a weary smile as he jumped up into the cart  
"Sorry. Erwin wanted us to stick together tonight"  
When did Mike even have the time to find Erwin and work this out?!  
"It's fine. I just need a change of clothes"  
Careful not to touch any of the shitty brats, Levi picked his way through to the back of the cart, his boyfriend pulling away from him, even though he was no where near him. Pulling out his uniform for the following day, as well as his tent and his soap, he paused to look at Eren, hoping for something, and instead continuing to be shunned  
"Levi, why don't you stay here tonight. There's a little space"  
"No. I'll be sleeping with my own team. I just needed my things"  
Mike nodded, his gaze flicking to Eren and back, his boyfriend hiding his face against his knees. He couldn't even asked Eren outright what was wrong. It was awkward as shit. He clearly wasn't welcomed by Eren's friends. With his gear in his hands, he picked his way back, Mikasa already whispering to Armin about him. The girl had no filter. Jumping down, he cursed his luck as he Hanji appeared from nowhere, falling into step with him as he moved to set up his own little camp  
"What's with the glare?"  
"No glare"  
"It's there. That brow of yours is getting wrinklier by the second"  
"Eren's hiding something from me"  
"Oh? What is it?! He was fine before. He even let me do a urine test, He's infection free"  
"He didn't tell me what"  
"He was too tired to argue with me. You did a number on him last night"  
"Did you actually want something? Or are you determined just to give me shit?"  
"Just wondering if you've made any progress on the case?"  
"No. Nothing. Without tracks or witnesses, there's nothing. The two shits knew nothing and saw nothing either"  
"That's rough. Maybe now the others are in custody, we can make it to Shinganshima without another incident?"  
"I fucking hope so. Between the wolves, Eren and this shitty fucking mission, I can honestly say that I've never missed the castle as much as I do right now"  
"It hasn't been all bad. I know you and Eren had a fun night"  
"That was on him. One minute he's throwing up, the next he's being the tease he is"  
"You're lucky he's healed, or I'd have to shame you into backing off"  
"You make it sound like I just jump him"  
"You don't?"  
"I'm not about to do anything to him that he doesn't want. Why the fuck do I have to discuss this shit with you?"  
"Because you looove him"  
"What are you? Three?"  
"Ah. No. Anyway, he's infection free"  
"I know. He said you made him take a piss test"  
"Yep. Blue for an infection, Red for pregnancy and yellow if he's ok"  
"You made him take a pregnancy test?!"  
"I didn't tell him what it was, besides, it didn't turn blue. Of course, I would have actually liked to see the results, but you scared him into dropping it"  
"And what would have done if it'd come back positive?! You can't put him in that situation"  
"Relax. I already told you it's impossible, I was just reconfirming"  
"What part of his PTSD are you trying to trigger? He's having fucking nightmares about being cut up"  
"He told you that?"  
"No. I fucking witnessed it the first time. He was begging in his sleep"  
"My poor bean. Look, with infection ruled out, we can start exploring other options"  
"Like what?"  
"Allergies? He could be having an allergic reaction to something"  
"Probably to you"  
"Ouch! You get so feisty when it comes to him"  
"Because life seems to like shitting on him. Now, I want to go bed. Go annoy Moblit"  
"I annoyed him all day. Eren kicked me out the back of the cart so he could sleep"  
"I hope you listened"  
"Of course I did"  
"Good, because I swear I will kill you if you set him off again"  
Rolling her eyes, Hanji poked her tongue out   
"Have a good night on your own, lover boy"  
"Just fuck off and try to reborn as something better"

Alone in his tent, Levi barely slept. Each noise of the night had him jumping, while the lack of Eren by his side left him feeling lonely like a shitty loser. His boyfriend was probably fast asleep by now, surrounds by his friends and not giving two shits that he wasn't by his side. The night was just as shitty as the day before, and so was the wake up. When he heard the screams, his heart sank, knowing Eren would blame himself for something happening to his attackers, only, Erwin had let the sleep later that sunrise, and if he'd bothered to stick his head out his tent, he would have realised camp was being attacked by wolves. Taking his time to freshen up and dress, he walked out to see several large werewolves being engaged by his team. Fuck.

With their rotten luck, another three packs had joined the battle. Everyone was still exhausted the previous night, leading to careless injuries. Bringing his blades down and slicing cleanly through the medium werewolf he was engaged in battle with, he fired his anchors into another, landing on the opposite shoulder to the one Eld was standing on  
"Captain! There's too many. We need Eren to shift"  
He didn't want to put his brat in danger. Even when the odds were currently against them. Cutting through the nape with Eld, they rode the corpse down  
"Captain!"  
"He can't take this many"  
"People are dying. We need to do something"  
"We fight. If Erwin gives the command, Eren will shift, until then, we need to thin out the packs enough to give him a fighting chance. Stick close to me, you'll switch to supporting Petra once we locate her"  
"Yes, sir!"

Even with their numbers, things were chaos. People were screaming, while blood covered the battlefield. Eld had been right. They should have had Eren shift sooner. When his boyfriend shifted, Erwin had issued the command to flee, leaving Mike's team and Levi's own to fight their way through the following wolves. A few of the less cowardly had come to their aid, but ultimately they were getting in the way rather than helping. They didn't know how Eren moved. They couldn't read his signals, and constantly caused problems for him. Landing on Eren's shoulders, he nodded to his huffing brat. Eren looked ready to drop, but they needed him to hold out for a little longer. Until the last of the large werewolves had been downed at any rate. Surveying the scene from Eren's shoulder, he found the wolf was already making a run for the expedition   
"Eren, after him"  
Using his blade to point, Eren's eyes narrowed on the weapon  
"I'm not going to fucking hurt you, we need to move"   
Huffing, Eren pivoted into a dash, snarls and growls now pouring from his lips as he ran  
"Good. Get me close and I'll do the rest"  
Whether because he didn't care, or because he was trying to protect him, Eren slammed into their target hard enough it send it flying off its feet  
"Eren..."  
Howling, he dropped down, charging the rising beast, Levi sprayed with blood as Eren's powerful jaws grabbed the creature by its throat, ripping the flesh as it tried to bite his omega's shoulder. Jumping onto its snout, Levi rushed its face, spinning as he reached its nape, before slicing through as he fell backwards. As the wolf started too fall, he brat shifted back, falling to the hard dirt of the field as Levi landed on his feet   
"Eren!"  
They couldn't afford to have him unconscious. Not now they were between the expedition and the main battle! Rushing to his side, Levi threw himself down, Eren was panting hard as he gathered him up  
"Eren!"  
"Sorry... I couldn't... I couldn't maintain it"  
"Are you ok? We need to move!"  
Not waiting for an answer, Levi whistled for his horse, before snaking his arm under Eren's shoulder and pulling him up   
"Come on, we need to go"  
"Can't... can't shift back"  
"Then don't fucking shift. We need to walk"  
His shitty horse wasn't coming, but more wolves were. Out in the field, there wasn't even anything he could fire his anchors into, other than another werewolf, and that wasn't ideal with his exhausted brat. Whistling again, Eren whimpered as they shuffled forward, back towards the main battle.

"Sir!"  
Riding towards him, some black haired kid appeared, horse in tow  
"Captain Levi, sir! I've got a horse for you, sir!"  
"Good. Eren, you get on first"  
Eren was staring at the horse as if he'd never seen one before in his life. Great. He was concussed  
"Foot in stirrup and up"  
Nodding, Levi mad to do most of the work getting Eren up, before looking around. Two two metre wolves were approaching. He should be able to handle them easily enough  
"Take the horse and go"  
"S-sir?"  
"You heard me! Get him out of here!"  
"Levi..."  
"Eren, go!"  
"Levi!"  
Reaching for him, Eren screamed his name as his horse was led away. Levi straightening himself up, before eyeing the werewolves in disgust. They weren't having Eren. No fucking way.

Standing as the only thing between the wolves and expedition, Levi stood strong, holding his ground until the surviving members of his team finally chased the last of the wolves in his direction. Firing his gear, his anchor failed, causing him to smash squarely into the mouth of a waiting wolf, the only plus side was things mouth was closed. Opening it to bite, Levi lunged for its shoulder, its teeth grazing his arm as he wasn't quite fast enough. Landing on its nape, Hannes downed the shitty beast, before grabbing hold of him and firing off his own anchors, landing them smoothly on the ground  
"You need to bind that wound"  
"Thanks. Where's your team?"  
"I don't know. Did you see Phil? I sent him your way with a horse?"  
"Who the fuck is Phil?"  
"Dark hair. Young..."  
"Yeah. Right. He led Eren away"  
Something flickered over Hannes's face for a second, before he nodded  
"Can you still fight?"  
"It's fine. It'll heal"  
"Levi, sir!"  
Landing beside him, Petra rushed to pull a handkerchief from her pocket, tying it around the wound like a tourniquet   
"My cravat would have been better"  
"We need to stop the bleeding and get you to Hanji, sir"  
"Not until we've dealt with these shitty wolves. Is this all that's left?"  
"Some fled, but for now, it seems to be. We also need to get back to main group. They could be being attacked as we speak"  
"Go. I'll handle this"  
"Sir..."  
"Petra, go. My arm will be fine"  
He had Eren's blood in his system and if the vials hadn't broken, he had enough to kick start the healing progress  
"Hannes, back her up"  
"What about you?"  
"I've been through worse. Just don't tell Eren"  
"Why would I tell Eren?"  
"I assumed he'd told you that we're dating"  
Hannes looked like he'd shat himself before laughing heartily   
"No. No, he didn't. I didn't see that coming, but if you're dating, you're practically family. I'm not going to make him any angrier than I have to"  
"Right. Both of you, move out"

With the wolves finally slain, Hannes found their horses. Levi's horse had been relatively close to the man's, so he'd lead it over, even holding the reins while Levi climbed into the saddle, his busted arm cradled against his chest. He'd broken his thumb of all things, but couldn't admit to it without causing more trouble than he'd like. He'd just have to feed off Eren, and hope that no one ever figured out he'd had such a shitty injury.

Erwin had pushed on farther than he'd imagined. By the time they'd finally met up with the group, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Leading the others to the front where the belonged, he drew level with his commander  
"Levi. Report"  
"We took care of the wolves. Petra said some fled, but for now, there's nothing following us"  
"And you?"  
"Fine. Shitty wolf got my arm, but it'll heal"  
"If you need medical assistance..."  
"No. I've taken some blood. I had back up vials that weren't broken. But we'll need to stop soon. Some of the soldiers further back are injured"  
"We'll ride for another half hour, then make camp. The goal is the forest at the base of the mountain range that will lead us straight to Shinganshima"  
"Alright"  
"Fall back and notify Mike and Hanji"  
"Understood"

Mike was already riding beside Hanji's cart, the man looked just as battered and bloodied as Levi felt  
"What does Erwin say?"  
"Another half hour. How's your team?"  
"Accounted for. Eren's already in the back of the cart"  
"Good. How is he?"  
"Concussion, and exhaustion. His nose was bleeding, but if it was broken it's already healed"  
"Ok. Where's Moblit?"  
"In the back with him, as well as the soldier that brought him"  
"He's in Hannes's squad"  
"He has a strange smell to him"  
"What does that mean?"  
"He smells strange. I don't know how to describe it"  
"I got that much"  
Mike shrugged  
"Are you staying or returning to Erwin's side?"  
"Staying. If Eren's concussed, he may shift unintentionally"  
"Seeing him in battle up close is pretty terrifying"  
"We would have suffered more casualties if he hadn't. We've come too far to turn back now"  
"It's going to be dark by the time we reach the next stop"  
"That's fine with me. We need to regroup and calculate just how many people we lost"  
Mike nodded, before falling silent. It was never easy telling the families of those left behind, especially when they couldn't even offer them the remains.

Making camp, the mood was subdued. No one laughed. No one was yelling or joking. It was just silent. Even the crying was soft. Setting up a tent for himself and Eren, his boyfriend looked lost as he hugged his knees  
"Eren, do you want to give me a hand here?"  
Blinking at him, the teen frowned  
"Sorry? What did you say?"  
"It doesn't matter. Are you alright?"  
"I want to find that soldier and thank him"  
"You didn't thank him?"  
"My head's fuzzy"  
"He was with Hannes's group"  
"Can I go find him?"  
With all that was going on, Levi didn't want Eren wandering around. Emotions were running too high, and the slightest move might be mistaken for hostility   
"Not right now. Hannes will probably come to check on you, so we can ask him then"  
"Oh... ok..."  
"Eren, you did what you could today"  
"People still died"  
"No one was expecting those packs, and not in such large numbers. Your actions saved lives"  
"I should have shifted sooner"  
"You did what you could"  
Gagging, there was only a seconds warning before Eren vomited, taking himself by surprise if the look on his face was any indicator. Sighing, Levi moved away from tent, fetching the bucket that he'd intended to use for water later   
"Here"  
Taking the bucket, his brat wriggled away from his mess  
"Sorry. I caught a bad scent and it made my stomach roll"  
"Bad scent?"  
"Yeah. Like the one Hannes had... just not as strong"  
"And that made you puke?"  
"Apparently... oh Sina..."  
Vomiting again Eren groaned, Levi looked up and around, seeing nothing that could be responsible for the offending scent. They'd made their own little camp far enough away from the others to have privacy, yet close enough to hear another attack  
"Can I get you anything?"  
"No. It'll pass... when it does, can I talk a walk?"  
"You shouldn't be up and walking"  
"I just need to clear my head"  
"You have a concussion and you're vomiting"  
"You have a broken thumb. Don't think I didn't notice"  
"It's fine. It's healing"  
"Did you drink some blood?"  
"Yeah. I had some vials on me"  
"Ok..."  
"If it's not healed completely by morning, I'll have to feed properly. But it's already starting to heal"  
"I never knew your powers were so strong"  
"They weren't until you came along. Things would heal, but that would take months"  
"It's nice to know I have my uses"  
"You have plenty of uses. Are you going to vomit again?"  
"No idea. The smell seems to be moving away"  
"That's something"  
"Yeah... how long until you're done with the tent?"  
"Not that much longer"  
"Good. If you're not going to let me walk, I want to curl up"  
"I'll make a fire soon"  
"No... I'm hot"  
"It's cold"  
"I'm still hot"  
Reaching down he placed his palm on Eren's forehead   
"Congratulations. You have a fever"  
"I don't have a fever"  
"You're warm"  
"Why?"  
"Why are you warm? Probably because you shifted and fought?"  
"Oh... right"  
"Maybe we should get Hanji to check you over?"  
"No. Everyone else is busy"  
"So what?"  
"Sooo, they're busy. I don't want to get in the way"  
"You're not in the way. Vomiting while concussed isn't a good sign"  
"If it was something serious, it's probably healed"  
"Fine. But let me know if you get worse"  
"Yes, mum"  
"Brat"

Hannes came to join them as Levi was trying to coach Eren into eating. The look on his man's face made Levi uncomfortable and agitated. It was like he wanted to say something, but kept biting his tongue over the matter. Promising to pass Eren's thanks onto Phil, the man barely said 10 words, though he did manage to Eren to eat a proper meal, before finally leaving them. With Eren was half asleep with his head on Levi's shoulder, so he couldn't ask Eren if he had any ideas what that might have been about. Instead, he moved his brat into their tent, helping him undress and get beneath the covers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't love this chapter


	33. Chapter 33

Snapping awake, Levi sprung up, throwing himself between and the dark shape standing outside their tent. He didn't know what had woke him, only that his instincts were kicking into overdrive, screaming to protect Eren. His vampire side surging to the surface as if his sleeping lover had already been hurt by whatever was lurking just outside their tent. Watching the tent flap slowly rise, he let out a growl in warning, but it continued to rise. Anyone foolish enough to fuck with him after such a clear warning, deserved an arsekicking, giving another growl, he was ignored. Throwing himself forward, his outstretched hand met thin air. Whatever was there, was fast. Too fast for him to grab. Looking up to see it already running, he didn't think twice about chasing after the shadowy form, running all the way into the forest, before finally loosing it and realising his mistake and stumbling to a stop. Whatever it was, it seemed to have better night vision than he did, and could keep up with his run speed, something he'd only ever seen Eren do. Turning slowly on the spot, his eyes darted from tree to tree, there were too many shadows for him to clearly pinpoint his target, and with the tree canopy above blocking out any small trickle of moonlight... he couldn't see shit. Turning back to face the way he'd came, he heard a rustle, before a crack, preluding a solid weight landed on him from above. Sprawled beneath the weight, Levi fought, managing to elbow his assailant, there was an "oof" in a clearly male voice, while the weigh shifted enough for him to dislodge whoever it was.

"Levi?!"

Fuck. Eren was awake. He didn't want his boyfriend walking into whatever trap this was. As he opened his mouth to reply, the man's hand darted out, his fingers literally stabbing into Levi's stomach. Letting out an involuntary yell, Levi grabbed the man's wrist, mercilessly breaking it as he tore the fingers from stomach. Hissing, the man jumped back, shaking his hand as if confused why it wasn't working. Flying forward, Levi stuck out, the man jumping back out of his reach, leaving the swing to fall short as he dropped into a fighting stance  
"What the fuck do you want with Eren?"  
At Eren's name, the man attacked again, his hood covering too much over his face for Levi's to see his face. Snarling, Levi swung again. Catching him by his injured hand, Levi's feet was swept under him, the feeling as if his assailant was trying to tear his hand off. A boot applying pressure to his shoulder as the man pushed harder. Curling up and Kicking awkwardly, he then surged up as the man lifted his boot to stomp down. His free hand automatically searching for his blades before realising he'd stupidly rushed in unarmed. Sensing his lack of of arms, Levi's wrist cracked as the man's hold was jerked back by the attack  
"Levi!"  
"Eren, stay back!"  
"Fuck that!"  
There was a moment of silence before a dangerous snarl, running right at them, Eren leapt over him, his teeth grabbing the small shoulder as he pinned him down. Unfortunately, Levi was still in his hold and all this happened too fast, leaving him to grunt in pain as the skin around his wrist was torn open by the man's nails. Using his hand to pry him attackers fingers off from around his wrist, Levi rose to his feet and straightened himself up, before walking around Eren. Grabbing the fabric of the hood, Levi pulled it down, his eyes widening. It was the same man he'd sent Eren off with this afternoon. Eren was shocked too, and then his boyfriend was pissed. Releasing his hold, he stuck his bloody muzzle right in the man's face, letting out another dangerous snarl  
"Eren is going to get off of you. If you run, he'll tear you to shreds"  
Snarling again, Eren stepped off the man, his pose lowered as he bared his teeth. His head whipping round as across from them, a figure appeared. Staying poised to attack, Eren let out rumbled as the figure came closer. It wasn't until he'd reached Phil that Levi realised it was Hannes.

Frowning at the sight, Levi looked between the pair of them  
"What's going on here?!"  
"I don't know. Why don't you ask your subordinate why he tried to attack Eren in our tent tonight"  
"Phil?"  
Sitting up, Phil did something unexpected. The man beginning to sob  
"Shut the fuck up with that tear shit and tell me why you tried to kill my fucking boyfriend!"  
In what he considered an act of betrayal, Hannes sank down, wrapping his arms around Phil  
"I'm sorry! I'm so hungry!"  
"It's ok. They'll understand"  
"No one understands! I'm so hungry. I'm so hungry all the time"

It happened in a quarter of a second. One moment Hannes was holding Phil and the next, bright red arterial blood was spraying from Hannes neck. Both of them flew forward. Levi shoving his fingers into Hannes neck to pinch the bleeding artery as Eren jaws clamped around Phil's neck, the crunch of bone cutting his screams short. Dropping the man, Eren shifted back, scrambling back to Hannes's side. They both knew there was nothing they could do. The moment Levi let go, Hannes would die, he should be dead already  
"Hannes! What happened?! Why would he do that?!"  
Half hysterical, Eren screamed at the man, Hannes chuckling weakly  
"Don't... don't blame him. Blame this old drunk"  
"H-Hannes..."  
"Blame the murders on me. He... he was a good kid"  
"He tried to kill me. I don't know you think that's a good thing"  
"He came to you because he wanted you to kill him... I wanted to save him"  
Coughing up more blood, Eren whimpered as he took Hannes's hand  
"You're the closest thing I had to son, and he was the closest thing I had to you... I helped him hide it"  
"Hide what?! What are you saying?!"  
"Just like you and Levi, there are more things in this world than what meets the eyes"  
So Hannes knew he wasn't quite human, and he'd covered for Phil, when he found out he wasn't either  
"I don't understand!"  
Eren probably did, but didn't want to believe it  
"He was the one killing..."  
"Don't blame him... he needs to feed. It has to be fresh"  
"Feed on what?"  
"Everything. Or he starts to rot..."  
Eren's eyes widened, Hannes snorting at the look  
"That smell... it disappeared after the first kill"  
"He wanted to help Eren... I didn't want to believe it was him"  
"He doesn't even know me!"  
"Like I said. You're the closest thing I had to a son. I'm so damn proud of you"  
"Hannes..."  
"Don't. If he's alive, make sure they don't get their hands on him. He didn't ask to be that way"  
"Then why is he... What is he?! What happened?"  
Hannes gave another wet cough, his breathing a wet, rattly wheeze  
"Hannes!"  
"He needs to feed... make sure he's fed"  
Coughing, blood poured from his lips, Hannes choking. Out of kindness, Levi let go. Eren screaming as he slammed his palms down on Hannes chest. 

With all the commotion, it was only natural Erwin was drawn to the site. Eren was still hysterical, trying to fight him as he held him away from Hannes. Rocking and hushing his omega, thick waves of distress rolled off the boy  
"What happened here?"  
"Not now!"  
"Levi"  
"Fuck off. Fuck off, before I fucking kill you"  
"Why do we have two dead officers?!"  
Loosening his hold in preparation to attack, a scared whine came from his side, Eren was calling for his touch. Gathering him into his lap as he resumed rocking him. Nuzzling into Eren's cheek, he didn't know what to say  
"Levi"  
Fucking fantastic. Hanji was here now, and Mike too  
"Is that Hannes? What happened?"  
Still, Levi ignored them. Eren was only getting worse by the second, his hand still reaching out for Hannes  
"Erwin, there's something wrong with the second man"  
Trust Hanji to already be examining the bodies. Hannes wasn't even fucking cold  
"His smell. He smells like fresh blood, that isn't Hannes's"  
So he'd killed the first two before going after them? Readjusting his hold on Eren, Levi's stomach was burning, he could feel the wounds still bleeding  
"Levi, what happened here?"  
"Erwin, he's got his hands full with Eren. Let him get him out of here. Eren was close to Hannes, he's probably in shock"  
Thank you Captain Obvious! Even a blind man could tell that  
"Fine. Get him out of here. Hanji, get me some fucking answers"

Lifting Eren, the teen continued to reach for Hannes as he carried him away. Carrying him through the camp, more than a few people had been woken by the commotion. Ignoring them all, he carried Eren over to their tent. Maybe if he'd just ignore the man and not given chase, Hannes wouldn't be dead now. Maybe that was the whole reason Hannes had dropped by at dinner? To talk about Phil. If he was part vampire, he would have struggled with all the blood in the air... but he didn't seem part vampire. He was something though... pushing it out of his mind, he laid Eren down on his bedroll, wrapping his arms around him as Eren curled in on himself. He still didn't know the right words to say, and they were both still covered in Hannes's blood.

It took hours, but eventually Eren fell asleep. He knew Erwin was outside the tent, and as much as he didn't want to talk to him, he needed to get it out the way or risk having him spend the whole night there. Fuck it. If Erwin wanted to talk, he could do so while Eren slept safely in his arms. Clearing his throat, his voice crackled  
"Come in, just keep it down"  
Moving to sit just inside the tent, Levi didn't bother turning to face him  
"Hanji examined the body. What happened?"  
"He tried to attack us. I chased him. We fought. Eren pinned him down then Hannes came. He tore out part of Hannes's throat. Eren killed him, then Hannes bled out"  
"Did he say anything?"  
"Phil? Just that he was hungry all the time. I don't think he's vampire, but he's something"  
"Hanji found two rows of teeth"  
"So?"  
"She also found human remains in his stomach"  
"That's fucking disgusting"  
"Why did he go after Eren?"  
"I don't know"  
"Why did go after the men who attacked him?"  
"I don't know"  
"If it comes out that he isn't human and was seen conversing with Eren"  
"Don't you dare go there"  
"I won't have to. I'm already covering for you, but what happens when people figure out two supernatural beings were involved in a death"  
"Are you fucking serious right now? Eren just saw the man he considered a second father killed by his own subordinate"  
"Levi"  
"Don't Levi me. Hannes tried to cover for the kid, but the kid fucking ate the shits that picked on Eren"  
"He got the two that were in custody, tonight. Before he came after you"  
"He did say he was hungry"  
"Levi"  
"What do you want me to say? This is another worse case scenario. I have no idea how many people knew about Phil. Hannes wanted to protect the kid. He probably saw him as another Eren and wanted to protect him from that"  
"And you didn't know?"  
"It's not like I ask every person I meet if they're a psycho killer or a werewolf"  
"I'll need Eren's statement"  
"He's in no condition"  
"I didn't mean this second"  
"No. You meant as soon as he wakes up"  
Sitting up, his hand flew to his stomach  
"Levi!"  
"Shhh. It's nothing"  
"It's not nothing. What happened?"  
"He stabbed me with his nails. It'll heal"  
"Hanji should take a look"  
"It's fine. Now, get out"  
"It's not fine"  
"Seriously. Right now, I want to hurt you for being this close to Eren. You need to leave and leave us alone. When he's ready, he'll talk"  
"He never gave me his statement over the attack either"  
"What does that matter? They're all dead. The man who killed them is dead and the man who tried to protect him is dead. It's better if this never gets out. Can you imagine what the Government would do if they got hold of that body? The shit they'd try and pull? No. Drop it and leave it. It's the best course of action. Hannes and Phil were attacked by werewolves. End of story"  
"I don't think Eren would agree"  
"Too fucking bad. The sooner we get this Shinganshima shit out the way, the sooner all our lives can go back to normal. Once the attacks don't continue, people will just assume whatever it was, was killed by werewolves"  
Moaning in his sleep, Eren tried to curl further in on himself. Laying back down, Levi rubbed his boyfriend's arm  
"This isn't over"  
"Whatever. Just let him get some rest"

 

*  
Despite everything, Eren slept through the rest of the night. Levi managed to get a few hours sleep, but the ache from his wounds had him awake well before his brat. With wide green eyes, Eren latched onto him the moment he woke, his voice broken as he whispered  
"Hannes?"  
"I'm sorry"  
"He's really gone?"  
"There wasn't anything we could do for him"  
"And Phil?"  
"Hanji examined the body. They found human remains in his stomach"  
"Maria... I wanted it to all be a bad dream"  
"I know. I wish it could be, for your sake. I know how much he meant to you"  
"Levi, when will all this end?"  
"I don't know. But if it's all too much, we can leave. I'll take you anywhere you want to go"  
"We can't leave. They'd come after us"  
"I don't care. I'll keep you safe"  
"How? I can smell it. You're still hurt, aren't you?"  
"Maybe, just a little. But it'll heal"  
"Do you want blood?"  
"No. Today's going to be the hardest on you. You need to be on top of everything"  
"I... was he like you?"  
"No. Not like me and not like you either. I've never heard of a human eating flesh. Only werewolves eat people and they can't process it. Vampires don't need to eat flesh. He was something else"  
"H-how is that possible?"  
"I don't know. But how were ghosts possible? We know so little about this world"  
"We need to get up"  
"We do?"  
"You need Hanji to check your wounds"  
"I'll heal"  
"Then how is your hand?"  
"I forgot about it"  
"Levi. You can't do that"  
"Do what?"  
"Not take care of yourself"  
"This coming from my brat?"  
"Please. I can't lose you. Especially now"  
"You're not going to lose me"  
"Then let Hanji take a look. For my sake"  
"Only for you. I want you to ride up front with the team today"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes"  
"But what about Erwin?"  
"He'll deal. He wants to take your statement, but I told him he'd have to wait until your up to it"  
"I don't know anything more than you do"  
"I know. I love you, brat"  
"I love you, too. So much Levi"  
Kissing Eren softly, he wiped at his teary eyes  
"I miss your smile"  
"It's hard to smile when things have been so bad"  
"But they won't always be bad"  
"I know. I just my head's all over the place"  
"That's understandable"  
"Can we go find Hanji right now? I'm worried about your wound. It smells bad"  
"You can smell it?"  
"Yeah... you should have got her to look at last night"  
"Last night, I was where I needed to be"  
"Thank you... but I swear to Sina. I will kick your arse if they're as bad as I think they are"

Eren didn't kick his arse, but he did growl as Hanji pushed up his shirt to reveal the five marks in the centre of his stomach. Angry red lines snaked from them, the smell alone said they were infected  
"And this happened last night?"  
"Yeah. Phil did it"  
"That's incredible"  
"You're not supposed to be impressed"  
"Sorry, but it kind of is. I'll need to flush each wound and dress them. Here I was, worrying about Eren having an infection, and now you come to me like this"  
"Just get on with it, Shitty Glasses"  
"I should probably knock you out. I don't want you becoming violent"  
"I won't. I've had worse"  
"And when did you get your medical degree?"  
"Well..."  
"We both know you don't have one. Eren, are you going to stay for this?"  
"Yeah... I can't leave him"  
"I may have to cut them open"  
"Eren, you don't have stay"  
"I do. You held me, now I want to be there for you. If it gets too bad, you can bite my arm"  
"I'm not going to need to bite your arm"  
"If we're doing this, then I need to grab a few things. Eren, why don't you help Levi out of his shirt?"  
"That, I can definitely do"

With his back to Eren's chest, his boyfriend was holding both his hands as Hanji sliced into the first wound. Grunting in pain, Eren quickly hid his face against Levi's hair  
"You don't have to be here"  
"I'm not leaving you"  
"You're too stubborn for your own good"  
"Of course I am. Have you met you? You're kind of an arsehole"  
"Only kind of?"  
"Yep. You still have a whole way to go before you reach the top"  
"Who's on top then?"  
"Do you really need to ask?"  
"I suppose not. Who's at the bottom of the list?"  
"Armin. Most of the time. Hanji, you're like midrange, but lower than Levi"  
"I'm only midrange?"  
"If this was a list for crazy, you'd be number one"  
"Don't tell her that"  
"I'm flattered. I try my hardest. Lately, I feel like I've been really slipping though"  
"You're like, cutting into my boyfriend, knowing I can turn into a Lycan if you hurt him. And you say you're slipping?"  
"I've always loved a little danger. It keeps things spicy"  
"Spicy is one word for it. Stupidity is another"  
"Awww. Eren, he's picking on me"  
"He's allowed to. He's hurting"  
Smirking at Hanji, the woman jabbed him with the needle of warm saline  
"Remember, you're at my mercy right now"  
"Don't I fucking know it"  
"Well, on the plus side. Only four more to go now"  
"How is that a plus side?  
"Because it's one less than when we started. I'll mix the herbs to combat the fever into the blood, unless Eren wants to take them and you just feed off him?"  
"No. That won't be necessary"  
"If it'll help..."  
"Eren, it's sweet that you want to do that, but we talked about this"  
"I know... I still let you get hurt"  
"I'm the one who chased him. I'm going to be just fine"  
"I wonder how a normal human would have reacted?"  
"No idea, but we're not talking about it. Go back to your poking"  
"I..."  
Levi's eyes flashed with danger. This wasn't a conversation to be having in front of Eren  
"Ok. I get it. I'll just finish up here, then you two can clean up. You're still pretty dirty"  
"Really? I hadn't noticed"  
He was fucking filthy and covered in a dead man's blood. It was kind of hard to miss...  
"You're not as anal about cleaning as you used to be"  
"He really is. He just gives me a free pass, but that's only for a limited time"  
"Yep. Eren is the only one. But that's because he actually appreciates being clean and cleanliness"  
"That's not fair. I've known you for years"  
"And I've had to knock you out in the past before and drag you off to your quarters because you go for days without bathing"  
"You did what!?"  
Oh fuck... he'd just made Eren jealous...  
"Not since I've been with you"  
"You better not have"  
"Hanji. Help"  
"No. You're on your own with this one"  
"Eren. I promise"  
His boyfriend's grip was starting to turn painful... Eren giving one hard squeeze before loosening his grip  
"Sorry"  
"Don't be sorry. Talk to me?"  
"Not now... I just want Hanji to finish up already"  
"I'm working on it"  
With Eren no longer wanting to talk, they fell into silence. Levi grinding his teeth together to keep Eren from hearing how much, having the shitty wounds poked at, actually hurt.

Once Hanji was done, Eren insisted on finding Erwin and filling him in. Levi could tell Eren wasn't coping at all, and was now in the avoidance stage of things, but it was still best to get everything out they way. Only Shitty Eyebrows went ahead and told Eren that not only Phil and Hannes were dead, but also the last two of his attackers. His boyfriend didn't even cry. Instead, he sat there, calmly repeated what had happened the previous night, before standing up and walking away. After that, Eren clammed up. He didn't talk as they ate breakfast. He didn't talk as they scrubbed the blood from themselves. He didn't talk as they packed up their camp. He didn't talk as they readied their horses, nor as they rode out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phil isn't an oc! He's real.  
> I did consider Hannes, and left it open to be. But I really liked the idea of Hannes finding someone like Eren and fighting hard to protect him because he couldn't protect Eren. I also like to think that Hannes talked a lot about Eren, Mikasa and Armin. So Phil went after those who attacked Eren feeling like he was protecting him. The poor guy probably had a bit of an inferiority complex really. But I guess, we shall never know!


	34. Chapter 34

Eren kept up the cold shoulder treatment all day, all night and all day again, even rushing off once they set up camp for the second night after Hannes's death. He understood Eren not wanting to talk the previous night, his friends had shown up at their camp and basically demanded answers until Mikasa started yelling and Armin had to drag her away. But this was the second night of boyfriend being practically mute, and he couldn't take it. His stomach wounds were still healing, his thumb was still busted and he was angry over the mess Phil and Hannes had saddled them with. He was in shit mood, and he needed Eren to open up to him.

With his boyfriend having disappeared into the tree line, Levi used his manoeuvre gear to nimbly search from above. Eren probably knew all the ins and outs of this place, so this was the only advantage he had against his omega, who'd dumped his own gear off as soon as he could have. Covering way more ground away from camp than he would have liked, he finally found his boyfriend perched up on ridge, overlooking a small clearing. At least he seemed to be in one piece. That was something. Landing behind him, Eren didnt acknowledged his presence as he came up behind the teen. Determined to prevent the little shit from escaping again, Levi sat behind him, wrapping his arms around waist and pulling him tight  
"Talk to me?"  
Nuzzling into Eren's neck, Levi pressed kisses to the bite mark that has scarred there  
"You're not ok. What can I do? How can I help?"  
Sitting there, Eren continued to stare out at the darkening landscape. Levi had to admit it physically hurt to be holding his lover who was still ignoring him, even though all he wanted to do was help  
"Eren... say something"

"I'm pregnant"

Levi's heart began to race, his stomach dropping as it did. I felt like he'd fallen off the ledge they were sitting on, before his feelings started to soar  
"You... you are?"  
Turning in his hold, Eren nodded. Silent tears were rolling down his face as he stared down at his hands  
"What? How? Hanji said it was impossible..."  
"I felt it... when I shifted into my Lycan form... and then she tried to give me a pregnancy test, like I'd never seen them before. It went red"  
Hanji's words echoed in the back of his mind "Blue for infection. Red for pregnant"  
"And... we're..."  
"I don't know how far along I am. At least two months, maybe three if I'm showing, but I shouldn't be that far. Not with all the bleeding I had"  
"Can I?"  
Closing his eyes, Eren allowed him to slide his hand up the teen's shirt and across his slightly swollen stomach  
"Don't get too attached..."  
"What? Why?"  
"You know I can't... I won't be allowed to keep it"  
"Eren..."  
"It's true... I'm so fucking scared! I don't want to be pregnant!"  
Levi snarled, his fingertips digging in around the small solid spot  
"They can't take it away from you. I won't let them"  
"You can't stop them! You know you can't!"  
"It's our fucking child"  
"I don't even own my own body. Levi, we can't hide this"  
"Then we'll run"  
"We can't!"  
"I'm not letting you be taken away. I wasn't before, and I sure as hell won't now that I know you're carrying our baby!"  
"They'll kill you! They'll kill the baby, or they'll cut it to pieces. I can't Levi. I can't give birth and condemn it to a life of being a freak experiment!"  
"So you're giving up?"  
"What else can I do? I want it. I want it so fucking bad, but we're at war. How can I bring a child into this world, when everything is trying to kill us?"  
"I won't let anything happen to you, or our child. I swear. I swear I'll keep you and our child safe for the rest of your lives"  
"It means nothing if you're not here. Levi... what do I do?"  
"Does Hanji know?"  
"No... I dropped the test into the river and told her the colour didn't change"  
"Right. For now, we don't tell her. Not until we're back at the castle. There are too many unknowns at the moment, but at the castle, we at least know the people there and the terrain around it"  
"What if someone figures it out?"  
"They won't. As far as they know, you're recovering from being attacked. We can fake a fever, or an injury"  
"And when it gets back to Hanji?"  
"I'll think of something..."  
"Levi, this means lying to everyone"  
"It's fine"  
"It's not fine. I want to be able to tell people I'm pregnant and that you're the father"  
"I know. And we will, just not until you're safe"  
"I still don't know what to do"  
Rubbing the swell, Levi smiled as he leant in, forcing a kiss to Eren's lips. He was going to be a father. He'd never wanted shitty brats. He'd never thought himself father material, and knew not all men were. He'd hurt when Hanji told them Eren could never have kids, but part of him had already accepted it and he was able to cope better with the news than Eren had. Now, his precious little omega had told him that they were going to be parents and he couldn't... he couldn't describe how happy it made him. He wanted to sweep Eren off his feet and make him stupidly happy, but instead his brat was so scared that he couldn't even enjoy the little miracle that this was. Men as rule, could not fall pregnant. And here was Eren. Shattering that rule completely. He was so fucking proud. His true nature even seemed to be pleasantly shocked  
"Just let me take care of you"  
"Ok... fuck..."  
"No swearing in front of the baby"  
"How are you so ok with this?"  
"Because it's you. We should get you back to camp. You need to eat and you need to rest. I need to see about Hanji giving me blood"  
"No!"  
Levi blinked, Eren softening his harsh tone  
"Please... no. No one else's. I feel like I'm going crazy. I can't share you..."  
"Eren, I can't feed from you"  
"Then take just a little at a time!"  
"You need it, our baby needs it"  
"Levi, you're not listening to me. I can't handle it. I physically hurt at the idea of it"  
"It's not safe for you or our child. It's a miracle it even survived you being attacked"  
"I know... but if we break it down to you feeding in the morning and at night... we can make this work. Just having Hanji touch you drove me insane. I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to her so fucking bad. And that was when she was trying to help you"  
"You're starting to sound like me"  
"It scared me. I don't want to hurt people"  
"It's been a shit of a mission. We're all burnt out and we haven't even got there"  
"We're close. I know where we are.  
It's about a day out... two if you go around"  
"I bet you spent a lot of time out here"  
"Collecting firewood... or running away from mum. She was scary when she was mad"  
"I can't picture you running from anything"  
"You never met my mother. She loved us fiercely, and always made sure she told me she loved me. But you know what it's like when your a kid..."  
"You're still a kid"  
"That's because you're an old man"  
"And who's sleeping with that old man?"  
"Me... Levi, are you sure about the baby?"  
"I'm sure"  
"Ok... I'll trust you... it's so weird. I have a whole new person growing inside of me"  
"I think it's sexy"  
"You like the idea of me getting fat?"  
"Yep. Your swollen belly and breasts..."  
Eren's snort turned into a moan as Levi's hand slid to the teen's groin, rubbing firmly. He wanted to see it. He wanted to see his pregnant brat, naked beneath him  
"Levi..."  
"I want you"  
"Like this?"  
"Especially like this. Strip for me?"

With Eren laying across their clothes, Levi was positioned between his legs, kissing his way along Eren's right leg. Beneath him, Eren was letting out breathy moans, his hands roaming across his stomach as if getting off on the feeling of being pregnant alone. Nipping the side of Eren's knee, his brat arched up  
"Alpha...."  
"Look at you. You're already a mess"  
Leaning down, Levi nuzzled into Eren's stomach, the teens hands moving to his hair, gripping it lightly as Levi mouthed at his swell  
"My precious little brat"  
Grazing his teeth over Eren's soft skin, his brat whined, rocking his hips in an attempt to get some kind of friction against his neglected dick  
"Alpha..."  
"So impatient"  
Kissing his way to Eren's hip, he bit down lightly, barely piercing the skin, before lapping at the blood. Smiling at the sight, he pulled back, then leaning up to kiss Eren, blood still on his lips. Deepening the kiss, he rutted firmly, humping against the teen as Eren tried to mount him. Being so wet, the teen let out impatient growl, his hands gripping Levi's hair, firmly pulling him from his mouth  
"Fuck me already"  
"Are you giving me an order?"  
"I'm ordering you to fuck me"  
"Filthy little shit"  
Snarling, Eren released his hair, the teen surging up and shoving him back, climbing into his lap and lining himself up, before clumsily sliding down onto his throbbing erection. Reaching up, Eren pinned his arms down, his mouth hanging open as he tentatively rolled his hips, before finally settling on a smug smile  
"Really?"  
"Mmm... fuck... needed this"  
Riding him, Eren mewed openly, his head hanging forward as he moved from squatting to kneeling  
"Fuck Levi... fuck me..."  
Rocking up, Eren stopped moving, releasing his hold on his right wrist so he could take himself into his own hands, jerking off as Levi took over, enjoying the sight in front of him. No one was as sexual or beautiful as his beast. Barely lasting a few more seconds, Eren came hard across him, his lips smashing into Levi's as he slumped over him. Levi continuing to fuck him as he hard as he could until his knot finally popped, Eren's cum splattering between them again as his omega started to purr. Freeing his wrist from Eren's hold and pulling Eren's hand out from between them, Levi wrapped his arms around his brat  
"Fuck brat. If you keep this up, you're going to kill me"  
"You can't die... we're having a baby"  
Nuzzling at Eren's face, his boyfriend turned to kiss him, like he'd wanted  
"We sure are. Our baby"  
"Well it's no one else's"  
"I would fucking kill them"  
"I know you would... I still can't believe it"  
"But you're happy, right?"  
"Scared, but feeling better"  
"Good... I'm so proud"  
"You're a sap"  
"Only for you... and this arse of yours"  
"So you don't want the rest of me?"  
"I want all of you, all of the time"  
"Even when I get fat?"  
"Even when you get fat, and when your breasts ache and you scream at me, and your feet hurt"  
"You're ruining the moment. And they already ache"  
"What aches?"  
"My arse. My chest. My feet... my arse"  
"It's your fault for being beautiful"  
"Shut up"  
"I'm serious. Sit up for me, I want to see you"  
Letting out a mew, Eren wriggled in his lap, pushing himself up with a brilliant blush across his cheeks. Reaching out one hand to cup his face, the other hand to Eren's swell  
"Beautiful"  
"Shut up"  
"My brat, with our brat growing inside"  
Eren's stomach let out a rumble, the teens eyes widened before he groaned, hiding his face in his hands. Levi couldn't help but laugh lightly. He was still over the moon about Eren being pregnant, pushing away the seriousness of the situation  
"Someone's hungry"  
"It's hard work ignoring you"  
"Then you shouldn't"  
"In my defence. I just found out I'm pregnant. I needed some time"  
"I wish you'd told me"  
"I did"  
"I meant right away"  
"You're mad?"  
"Not mad. I love you. I wish you'd felt safe enough to tell me"  
"It wasn't... are you fucking teasing me?"  
"Maybe"  
"I fucking hate you"  
"Being pregnant is a big deal. It's only natural you needed time to think"  
Eren pouted  
"Why do you have to be so fucking perfect all the time?"  
"I'm fucking, perfection"  
"I hate you. Get out of me already"  
"You're the one who wanted me"  
"You're stupidly hard to resist"

After cleaning them both up, Levi couldn't resist rubbing Eren's stomach. His omega groaning at his touch, but leaning back into his hold, letting Levi touch him all he liked  
"This is never going to get old"  
"Remember that next time we have a fight or I randomly throw up"  
"I think I can forgive you"  
"You've been doing that a lot lately. I'm having to rethink everything I know about you"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Well, we've hardly been clean up to your usual standards"  
"That's because of all this shit we've been through. You've been sick, then attacked, and we've been separated and forced to fight shitty werewolves. We just didn't have all the resources to spend on keeping things how I like them"  
"Does that mean you're going to punish me when we get back to the castle?"  
"I'm going to tie you to my bed and keep you there. I'm not letting anyone come near you or hurt you ever again"  
"You know that's not realistic"  
"I don't care. You're mine. I won't allow people to casually fuck with what's mine"  
Eren laughed, placing his hands over Levi's  
"I love you. And I know we both believed Hanji about this baby thing, but I couldn't want another father... does that make sense? I'm happy it's yours"  
"I'm happy it's ours. Do you think you can find your way back to camp from here?"  
"Yeah. It's not too hard. Just try to keep your hands to yourself"  
"I don't know. You feel pretty good beneath them"  
"That's it. No more. My heart is going to burst from how happy I am right now"  
"Well, we can't have that. I have no idea how to raise a child on my own"  
"Geez. Thanks. It's nice to know where your priorities lie"  
"With you"

 

*  
Telling Levi went better than he'd expected. He'd spent the last two days driving himself crazy trying to figure out and replaying Hannes's death, while trying to figure out how this baby thing would work. He liked kids... he'd just... he'd thought himself foolish to believe he could ever have Levi's baby. Especially after Hanji told them a dozen times... He'd seriously thought they couldn't. That somehow even if his womb had grown back, those drugs would have left him sterile... and now... he... was actually pregnant. And fuck. It was terrifying. He was struggling to keep his own head, let alone his child's. What happened when everyone found out? They already thought he was a freak and a monster... he didn't want that for his baby. He still couldn't believe that Levi was so open and accepting of the fact he was pregnant. His mate actually wanted their baby...  
"Brat, you're thinking again"  
Ducking his head, Eren nodded lightly  
"Just thinking about the little one"  
"I told you I'll take care of you, and them"  
"I know. I guess I'm kind of in shock"  
"Well you better snap out of it, Armin and Mikasa are coming this way and she doesn't look happy"  
Looking past the tent, Mikasa looked murderous, marching up to them like she was about to start screaming. Stepping between them, Levi crossed his arms  
"Shouldn't you two be with your team?"  
"How long have you even screwing my Eren?!"  
"Your Eren?"  
Levi's voice was several degrees colder than the few seconds before  
"He's supposed to be your subordinate!"  
"Mikasa, please..."  
"No, back off Armin! He's taking advantage of Eren!"  
"I'm not taking advantage of him"  
"You're lying! He wouldn't just chose you!"  
"Excuse me! Who Eren chooses to fuck is his own business"  
"It's wrong! And it's disgusting!"  
Stepping forwards, Eren placed his hand on Levi's shoulder. His alpha tense as he returned Mikasa's glare  
"Mikasa please, he's not taking advantage of me"  
"How can you defend him?!  
"Because I love him!"  
"Y-you love him? You don't even know him!"  
"I know him! I know him better than you at any rate"  
"This is ridiculous. I'm going to Erwin"  
Levi snorted, pointing off towards the way the pair had come from without bother to uncross his arms  
"He knows"  
"Then I'll go to Zackley!"  
"Mikasa, stop. That's enough"  
"It's an abuse of power"  
"It's not an abuse of power! I love Levi. He makes me fucking happy. If you go to the Government, they're going to fucking kill him!"  
"Then he should have thought of that, before forcing himself on you"  
"Have you even met Eren? Try forcing him to do anything he doesn't want to"  
"Mikasa..."  
Stepping past Levi, his boyfriend's hand shot out and grabbed his arm  
"Please. Levi and I have talked about this. We've been together for nearly 5 months, or so. He's never done anything that I haven't wanted. I know you think he's an arsehole, but he's so fucking good to me"  
"He's controlling you..."  
"Mikasa. He's not! This is why I didn't want to tell you! You never listen to anything I say!"  
"Because you don't know what's best for you!"  
"I know what I want for myself! Why can't you just support me for once in your life!"  
Slapping his face, Eren whimpered from her blow, Levi ripped him back, wrapping his arms around his waist as he snarled. Armin grabbed Mikasa, wrapping his arms around her as she tried to push him off  
"I'm sorry. We went looking you both earlier..."  
Oh... he hadn't even noticed they weren't alone...  
"Just get her out of here. How she didn't know already, I have no idea"  
"I'll never forgive you for this!"  
Levi's voice dropped further, his tone cold enough to make Eren shiver  
"Honestly. I couldn't give two fucks if you do or don't, but if you ever hit Eren again, I will break you. The only reason you're getting away with it this time is because you're his fucking sister and I don't want to upset him further"  
Tearing herself out of Armin's hold, Mikasa ran. Eren letting out another whimper  
"I'm sorry. I'll talk to her"  
"Make sure you do. Eren doesn't need this right now"

With his face still stinging, Levi guided him back to sitting by the half built fire. Eren didn't know what to say. Mikasa's words had cut deep, he knew she wouldn't be happy, but to go as far as calling it disgusting, it made him feel sick. Wrapped in Levi's arms, his boyfriend kissed his shoulder  
"Are you ok?"  
"I'm fine"  
"I know you're not ok, what I mean is, she slapped you pretty hard"  
"It's fine. She held back"  
"That's something..."  
"Yeah. I wish she could just be happy. You make me happy. Why can't she accept that?"  
"Because I'm so much older than you"  
"You're so much older than everyone"  
Digging into Levi's side with his elbow, his boyfriend sighed  
"Laugh it up while you still can"  
"I am. Fuck. I didn't need Mikasa finding out. She probably knew, but there's a difference between hearing a rumour and seeing it"  
"I don't mind. If she tries to start anything, I'll step in"  
"I know. I think I would have preferred she just yelled at me about Hannes again"  
"I think she did more than enough damage"  
"I just want to be happy. I want to enjoy being with you and being with friends and just keep fighting"  
"Once we get back to the castle, thing will have to change again. I can't pull you from the mission, but I can keep you by me. You're not shifting unless it's absolutely necessary"  
"You're worrying too much"  
"No. This is our baby. We're not losing it because I didn't take enough precautions"  
"I still can't believe you want it"  
"I want it and I want you. Now, what can I do to make you feel better?"  
"Food. I'm still fucking hungry"  
"I think I find us up some more food"  
"Good. Because my appetite is huge. I've been trying to hide it"  
"Don't hide it. Whatever you need, tell me"  
"A foot rub?"  
"Feet are fucking disgusting brat"  
"I know, that's why I said it. No. I just want to eat and sleep"

By the time Eren finally finished eating, he'd demolished three days worth of rations, including the foodstuffs allocated to Levi. He'd been intentionally trying to hide it, but now he didn't have to and Levi didn't mind. His mate didn't even tease him, merely taking the dishes away and putting them to soak, before ushering him into their tent. Stripping down, Levi insisted on giving him that foot massage, pampering him into a state of bliss, a deep purr rumbling through their tent. This was nice. Rolling onto his back, Eren smiled softly at Levi, his hand gently patting at his belly in invitation. Laying his down on the swell, Levi closed his eyes, his hand finding Eren's.

Dozing together, Levi startled him as he shot up. His boyfriend grabbing the closest blanket and throwing it over him. Confused, Eren yawned as he propped himself up on his elbows  
"What is it?"  
"Someone's coming"  
"You can here that? I thought we were sleeping"  
"You were, I was watching over you"  
"Levi, you need to rest"  
"I need to keep you safe"  
"Alpha, I'm ok. Just don't attack. I can smell them, it's only Hanji"  
"Fuck off, Shitty Glasses!"  
Giggling, Hanji walked around their tent, sticking her head in  
"How'd you know it was me?"  
"Eren smelt you. We're trying to sleep"  
"I spend the day busting my arse, and you decide you want to sleep before I check that wound of yours? Not happening. Move over, I'm coming in. Eren, nice to see you"  
"Hi Hanji. Be gentle with him"  
"I've already been warned that you has to face an angry Mikasa"  
"Who told you that?"  
"Armin was trying to calm her down. She was yelling about how "the midget stole her brother!""  
Levi let out a growl, his scowl deepening  
"Levi..."  
"No. She's acting like a little kid"  
"She just realised her little brother's been deflowered"  
"Don't word it like that"  
Drawing his knees up to hide his stomach, even though it wasn't visible, Eren rested his chin on his right knee  
"She said it was disgusting. And accused Levi of abusing his power"  
"I'm sorry to hear that"  
"I'm pissed Eren had to go through that. Mikasa could have just kept her fucking mouth shut"  
"Levi, calm down. You're getting cranky again"  
"Of course I'm fucking cranky. She hit you"  
"And it's fine now. It doesn't even hurt. Just show Hanji your stomach so we can go back to sleep"  
"Fine. But it's fucking healing"  
Leaning back, Levi showed Hanji his stomach, the woman grinning widely at his cooperation  
"Eren's got you wrapped around his little finger"  
"Fuck you. Do your job"  
"On it! Eren, can you hold the lantern for me?"  
"As long as you make this quick"

"Hmmm... they still look a bit weird"  
"It was caused by a guy eating bodies. How are they supposed to look?"  
"We're calling it a ghoul. Like in the stories. Usually they feast on dead bodies, but you know, that's in the stories. And by now, I would think they'd be healed further. They may have been remains on his fingertips when he stabbed you, that decomposing flesh was pushed into the wounds"  
It was never good when Hanji was actually worried about something, and she seemed pretty worried about Levi. Moving closer, he shifted the lantern to his left hand, so he could run his fingers over the wound  
"How do make him better?"  
"I'm not sure. I've never had a wound like this before. I cleaned the wounds out, so they should be healing"  
"I'm not Eren, I don't heal instantly"  
"Maybe being on your horse is aggravating them? I think we're close to Shinganshima, so you can probably just ride in the supply cart..."  
"I'm not riding in the shitty cart over this"  
"Then drink some blood. We've never encounter a ghoul before, so for all I know, you could be becoming one"  
Levi wrinkled his nose, while Eren clamped his hand to his mouth. His alpha couldn't become a ghoul. Levi barely accepted his vampire side... and it was so much easier to hide feeding on blood, that it was a dead body... How would they even do that!? Would Levi even do that? Eating someone would be dirty and he didn't like the idea of Levi eating just some nobody off the streets... if he could even convince him not to kill himself to avoid becoming a ghoul  
"This is all just me thinking out loud. You don't need to worry, Eren. Levi is strong. He'll be just fine with some more time"  
"Shitty Glasses, why would you say that shit? I don't care if you were just thinking out loud. I'm not changing into anything"  
"I was just thinking. Besides, we'll know more once we've examined Phil's remains in greater detail. We've taken samples and sketches for now, but it's really kind of amazing. Two rows of teeth Levi, and despite missing the bones from their corpses, the biggest thing we found was a toe!"  
Eren gagged, his stomach rebelling at the thought. He knew way too much about human remains and how they were processed by the stomach  
"That's enough. This isn't the place"  
"Eren's a big kid, he can handle this"  
"Eren doesn't want to handle this. Hanji can you leave? I think I'm going to vomit"  
"Awww, Sweetie. I thought you were feeling better"  
"I was. Until you went and said that"  
"I just mean. I expected it to be more like your stomach after you ate the vampire. You know. Skin, muscle, hair and bone"  
Shoving the lantern at Levi, Eren darted outside, throwing up next to the tent  
"Look what you fucking did, Shitty Glasses"  
"I didn't mean to make him sick"  
"You should have just kept your mouth shut. Now that you've finished ruining our night, get out. I don't want to see you again until we get to Shinganshima"  
"Fine. Just make sure you look after those wounds"

Hanji stormed from the tent, throwing an apology over her shoulder as she marched away. Standing up with a groan, Eren rubbed at his stomach  
"Eren?"  
"I'm ok... just give me a minute"  
"Do you want anything?"  
"No. I'm good. I just need some air"  
"Alright..."  
Taking a few breaths to centre himself, Eren then nodded. Hanji was right. He really should be able to handle this, but now he couldn't get her words out his head. What happened if Levi did shift into ghoul? Would having sex affect the baby? Did him shifting affect it? He'd felt that something was wrong when he'd shifted into his Lycan form, like his body wanted to reject the shift, and his stomach had been fucking tender for the rest of the night... but there hadn't been any blood, and that had to mean their baby was ok? What if they needed him to shift when they got to Shinganshima? What if the whole town was now home to hundreds of werewolves? If he shifted, he could lose the baby? He couldn't just take it away, or risk it, not now Levi knew and not when his mate was this happy about it all...  
"Eren?"  
"I'm still ok!"  
"Come back into the tent already"  
"Yep. Coming!"  
If Hannes hadn't died, he might have had some idea what to do? He said he was proud of him, but what would he have said if he'd known the truth? Would he still be proud of him? What about his mum? Or his dad? His mum probably would have been angry... Maria. Why did he have to think so much? Why couldn't his brain just give him a holiday? And why did life insist on piling all this on him at once? Returning into the tent, he crawled onto his bed roll, Levi immediately moving to spoon up behind him before taking his hand in his  
"Ignore what she said. I'm not changing into anything and I'm not going anywhere"  
"You better not. If you leave me, I'm going to rip your balls off and shove them down your throat"  
Levi snorted  
"I wouldn't expect anything less"  
"Good. Now go the fuck to sleep"  
Kissing his nape, Levi nuzzled into his neck  
"I love you"  
"I love you, too"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry if this feels choppy. I wanted to make both points, but had a bit of the struggles


	35. Chapter 35

"This is fucking insane!"  
Eren's worst fears had been confirmed as they'd reached the gate to Shinganshima. Leaving the main bulk of the expedition on one side, both Mike's team and Levi's, with the addition of Erwin, scaled the wall with their gear, now perched atop the giant structure, they were looking over the flattened remains of Shinganshima... and more werewolves than Eren could even count. There was no way in hell they could tackle this many, and he'd chickened out of telling Erwin that he couldn't shift, though he was going to blame it on blood loss, rather than being knocked up  
"Eren, what do you propose we do?"  
"You're asking me?"  
"This is your hometown"  
"Armin's the smart one. But... we definitely need to do something about the openings... if we can block the far one, we won't have to worry about more wolves coming through"  
Armin shrank back as Erwin turned to look at him  
"Arlert?"  
"What Eren said is true... we can maybe use the walls? They can't reach us up here. If we can get the horses and the soldiers up here, it'll give them a break from the fear of being attacked. It's a miracle more werewolves aren't moving this way"  
"Mike, inform Hanji that we'll need her up here, working on the elevator platforms. We can't afford to lose the supplies, so have all personal attach to the wall, that way they're out of reach, but ready for battle. Arlert, you'll go with Eren and Levi's team. We need to know what our options are for blocking the hole"  
Saluting, Eren took off running, Levi by his side. Both their paces slowed as to not leave the others behind   
"Eren..."  
"Not now..."  
He knew Levi was probably going to apologise over the state of Shinganshima, despite its ruin not being his fault. No one really knew what happened that day, only that the gate had been broken, exploding inwards as hundred of wolves poured in. His town was now a pile of rubble that nature was rushing to reclaim... it hurt to see. It hurt to be bringing his mate home, when home no longer existed. All the streets and all the laughter, were just memories, memories he didn't even know if were true, or if his mind had fabricated them to ease the pain of losing almost everything. He'd been so young. Nearly 7 years had passed since its fall. So why was it he could still see his mother's death so clearly when he closed his eyes? Down there, somewhere, her corpse had probably rotted to bones, unrecognisable from one victim to the next.

Reaching the far wall, the damage was extensive. Unlike Trost, there wasn't anything close by to block the entrance with. Even with the rubble laying at the base of the crumbling walls, the werewolves seemed unfazed as they climbed over it. Anchoring himself at the top, Eren slowly descended, Armin right beside him as he did  
"What do you think we should do?"  
"You're asking me?"  
"You're the only one who can shift"  
"Armin, there's not enough big pieces here"  
"We need to think of something"  
"That's why you're here. We don't even know what caused it in the first place"  
"We need to get lower"  
Eyeing the five closest wolves, Eren shook his head  
"We don't have the man-power too land down there"  
"I didn't say we needed to land"  
"We still need to stay out of reach"  
"But don't you think it's strange? They haven't moved to attack"  
Now Armin mentioned it, it kind of was  
"What do you think they're doing then? Waiting for us to come to them?"  
"That's one explanation, but if that's the case, it means these werewolves are evolved. A normal wolf can't fight its hunger"  
"Don't go making them smarter"  
"If we could just closer"  
"Armin, I'm not letting you get closer"  
"Then tell me what we should do?  
Looking around, Eren had no idea. The rocks that laid across the ground were far too small to be practical. Looking back up, there was nothing on the wall that could actually help them  
"Shit..."  
"We could collapse part of the wall"  
"What?"  
Armin chewed his lip, his eye darting back and forth as if reading something kind of invisible text  
"If we can collapse two pieces big enough off the top, we can plug the wall with that"  
"Are you serious?! I don't think we even have the manpower to try"  
"We haven't got any other options!"  
"Did you see the canons? They haven't been maintained in years!"  
"Then what do we do? Do we give up, now that we're finally home?"  
"I don't know!"  
"It's the best option!"  
"And what if it collapses and causes a bigger hole in the wall?"  
"Then we can at least say we tried. Once we plug the other side, we'll be able to reclaim the land  
Huffing, Eren readjusted the pressure off his stomach  
"Something wrong?"  
"Being here makes me feel sick"  
"I thought you wanted to come back"  
"Not to this! We can't ever get our old lives back..."  
Cutting himself off, Eren shook his head, forcing the anger from his tone  
"We should head back up. If Levi agrees, we can come down and take a closer look"  
Not waiting Armin to agree, he hit the switch for his anchors, firing his cylinders and propelling himself back up.

 

*   
Levi sighed to himself. He couldn't help it. The blonde coconut wanted to head down to street level, and Eren didn't want him going alone. It was obvious to Levi at least, that his boyfriend wasn't thrilled by the idea of risking himself and the life of his unborn child, which was a huge step forward for the teen. Leaving Petra and Gunther on standby, Levi, Eld, Eren and Armin all headed down towards the ruined entrance, his brat looking paler by the second, until he finally vomited from their rapid decent   
"Eren, stay here"  
"I'm ok"  
"You're not ok and you can't fight"  
"Levi..."  
"Stay here"  
Eren looked away, his eyes widened as he found something he liked  
"There's a ledge above the gate. I'll take up position there"  
"Will you hang back?"  
"I won't make a move without your order"  
"Then go. Arlert, Eld, avoid engaging for now, our priority is the gate"  
"Yes, sir!"

Landing by the demolished entrance, Levi scowled as the pieces of the puzzle came together in his mind. There had definitely been some kind I explosion, char marks marring the brick work, but what really struck him was the fact that the blast seemed to radiate out from inside the walls. Stooping to take a closer look, he growled at the broken chain spool, the damage clearly deliberate. All this time the Government had denied having any knowledge over why Shinganshima fell, and now he was seeing for himself, that this was in fact an inside job  
"Sir?"  
Armin's voice trembled, the kid had figured out the same thing he had  
"We need to get back up the wall. Erwin needs to know about this"  
"R-right..."  
Firing his anchors up to the ledge Eren was on, his boyfriend was hunched over with his elbows against his thighs. Landing behind him, Eld hung back, while Armin rushed to Eren's side  
"Eren! It was deliberate! Someone broke the gate down from inside"  
Eren's head snapped up, his boyfriend looked unhealthily pale  
"What?"  
"We can't talk about his here. It's not safe"  
"Eren has a right to know"  
"The Government already want his head. What are they going to do if they learn he knows the truth about the falling of Shinganshima now?"  
Armin stuttered, but Eren pushed himself to stand up straight  
"For now. We don't tell anyone. We tell Erwin and that's it. It'll cause mass hysteria in the soldiers to know"  
What happened to his brat? He was sure Eren had been about to blow up over it, then he calmly suggested the best course of action?!  
"Eren..."  
"Armin, I've been tortured by the Government. I won't allow you to experience the same thing. If they know you know, they'll go after you. They'll go after all of us, and I refuse to see any more people die or be used as their play things. We tell Erwin, then you and Hanji put your heads together about collapsing that piece of wall. If the Government would go as far as to sacrifice a whole town to hide something, we need to find what that something is, and we can't do that with more wolves pouring in"  
Swallowing, Levi felt his penis twitch. The strong aura coming from his brat, combined with his nonsense orders, was like verbal pornography. He wanted to pin him up against the wall and fuck him right there. Nodding stiffly, Armin went to counter Eren   
"Eren is right. I've seen what they do to Eren, and how far they push it. Unlike a normal human, he can heal. If they get hold of you, you won't be coming out in one piece, provided you come out at all"  
"But this is our hometown! A third of the population was lost after the wall fell!"  
"Armin, stop! Think! Do you want to go back and tell all those soldiers working for the Government, that they could potentially be slaughtered by humans, for what they know? They all have families! We can't tell them"  
"We can't just let them get away with it!"  
"Armin. Right now, this is the best course of action... right, Levi?"  
Their eyes locked, Levi fighting the urge to kiss Eren, because he was just way too fucking proud   
"Erwin will know what to do. He has connections"  
"But... why would they sacrifice a whole town? Our whole town..."  
"I don't know. But we're here now, and we're going to get to the truth. Now, we need to head up. Those wolves aren't acting normal, like you said. I don't like the feel of it. It feels too quiet"  
"Right. Armin, keep an eye on Eren. He's still recovering from being attacked"  
"Is... I thought you would have healed..."  
"I'm mostly ok. It brought back things I'd rather forget, and coming home. It's a lot"  
"Alright. Stay close to me"

Landing back atop the wall, Eren waved Armin aside as he moved to the edge, throwing up over the side as he sank to his knees  
"Eren!"  
"Leave him, Petra. He's ok"  
"He's sick?"  
"Just give him a second. Armin and Eld need to report to Erwin. You go with them. Armin is to stay with Hanji and is to provide technical support. I want you to relay any messages Erwin might have and be careful. Armin said there's something wrong with the behaviour of the werewolves here"  
"Yes, sir!"  
"Gunther, I want you to monitor any wolf movement around the outside of the wall. The numbers are already out of control, so we can't have more swarming in if we move into action"  
Gunther gave a curt nod  
"Dismissed"  
Moving off to their respective tasks, Levi walked over to his brat. Eren had stopped vomiting, but was still dry heaving like he might start again   
"Eren, if this is too much..."  
Shaking his head, his boyfriend leaned back, resting his head against Levi's leg. Reaching down, Levi began to massage at Eren's scalp with his fingertips   
"Came up too fast"  
"Is that all?"  
"Someone intentionally destroyed my town"  
"I saw"  
"Levi, if they did that... do you think... do you think they knew about me before I knew about them?"  
"I know how those shit stains work. They would have gutted your family, rather than destroy your town. They can't line their pockets with tax money if people are dead"  
"I just don't understand. We lost hundreds of thousands of people... who families. Whole bloodlines... Levi, who knows what was in those bloodlines..."  
"You can't think of it like that. The werewolves are to blame. If you start getting caught on those behind the scenes, they'll come after you. I can't lose you brat. Everything you said before, you were right. The truth is to dangerous for all of us right now"  
"I don't want Armin hurt... I don't want anyone hurt"  
"That's why we keep our mouths shut. Come away from the edge. You look like you're about to pass out and fall off"  
"I wouldn't do that..."  
"Have you met you? Any excuse to scare me half to death"

Wriggling back from the edge Eren groaned as he crossed his legs, placing both hands on his stomach, he hunched forward  
"Brat?"  
"Sorry. The gear's uncomfortable"  
"Lower back?"  
"Yeah, and across my chest. Funnily enough, it feels better like this"  
"You look like an idiot"  
"Thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind next time I'm throwing up because your baby isn't happy"  
Snapping at him, Eren's face immediately softened as he registered what said  
"It's..."  
"You're fine"  
"No. I didn't mean to snap"  
"I think you snapping is expected"  
"I know. Fucking shitty hormones. You know, I nearly started crying this morning... because there's a hole in my sock. It's the end of the fucking world! There are no more socks! Oh no!"  
Snorting, Levi pinched the bridge of his nose  
"Only you, would cry over a sock"  
"My big toe says you're an arsehole"  
"I'm sure I'll survive. Will you be alright, I need to see how Gunther's doing"  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I probably need some space to think or some shit"  
"Don't go down that road. Focus on what we can do to block this hole"  
"Armin said we should collapse part of the wall. I don't think that's the best idea"  
"Your new assignment is to draw in the dirt and figure out what options we have"  
"But the dirt is so dirty"  
Sighing, Levi left him to it.

Gunther was standing about a hundred metres away from the gateway, on the right curve of the wall, the man's frown was fierce as he scanned the terrain with binoculars   
"What do you see?"  
"Not as many wolves as I would have expected. The majority seem to be here, rather than out there"  
"So you think it too?"  
"That it isn't unnatural for them to be holed up here?  
"Not without attacking"  
"Eren said it felt off"  
"Are you sure it's not because he's returned home to find it like this?"  
"I don't think so"  
Gunther turned, lowering his binoculars   
"What's really going on with him? He's not just recovering, is he?"  
"No. The attack really fucked with his head, then this shit with Hannes and Phil"  
"I hear they're calling him a ghoul?"  
"Yeah"  
"In the books, they always lived by graveyards"  
"We've lost enough men to fucking fill a graveyard"  
Gunther stared at him, Levi resisting the urge to snap  
"What?"  
"Eren's pregnant, isn't he?"  
Levi hissed like a cornered alley-cat  
"Where the fuck did that come from?"  
"There's a reason I'm your second in command"  
"Not for you to throw shit like that around"  
"Levi..."  
Levi snarled, his own actions had confirmed it   
"No one's to fucking know. Eren only just found out"  
Gunther whistled  
"That's a hell of a risky situation"  
"Don't you think I fucking know that. Not a word. Hanji said it wasn't possible"  
"Not possible? Eren can regenerate"  
"Between surgery and the Government drugs... it wasn't supposed to be possible"  
"Is he going to keep it?"  
"Yes!"  
Shit. He couldn't do this. Not even with Gunther. Gunther was under obligation to report back to Erwin, though he was sure with the seriousness of the situation he was sure he'd keep his mouth shut  
"Enough baby talk. Shit... And stop acting like it's perfectly normal for a boy to be pregnant"  
"Eren blew my expectations of normal away, a long time ago. For what it's worth, I hope it all works out well"  
"You mean, you hope the Government doesn't find out and kill him?"  
Gunther smiled, despite the bitterness of Levi's tone   
"Let me know if I can help"  
"Just don't blab this shit to everyone"  
"Just remember my name when you're choosing"  
"Don't make me push you off the wall"  
"Why not? It looks pretty clear"  
Huffing, Levi walked back towards Eren.

"What did Gunther have to say?"  
"No packs are close... he, uh, also had something else so say"  
"Really?"  
"He knows your pregnant"  
Eren's eyes widened as he jerked back, his omega glaring fiercely in Gunther's direction  
"He what! What did you say?!"  
"Gunther won't say anything"  
"He's supposed to report to Erwin!"  
"He won't"  
"How can you be so sure?!"  
"How long have you been with us now? Do you really trust him so little?!"  
"It's not about trust! It's about all of us not ending up dead!"  
"Eren, stop yelling. It's going to come out eventually"  
"Are you making a joke?!"  
"No. But either way..."  
"Fuck off. Why aren't you worried?!"  
"Because I fucking trust him. And if you trust me, you'll trust him!"  
"I can hear you!"  
Eren groaned at Gunther's interruption, covering his red face  
"No offence, Gunther!"  
"It's fine!"  
Dropping his tone, his brat was still seething  
"It's not fine. Levi... I didn't want people knowing..."  
"We're going to need help"  
"For when it comes out?"  
"Eren, do you really think I wouldn't do everything I could in order to protect you, both?"  
"I know. But... forget it. Petra is coming back"

 

*  
His fucking alpha was an arsehole. Twice as much because he hadn't just lied to Gunther. Now he had both of them fucking staring at him, and he was about ready to throw himself off the wall. Even the werewolves would be preferable to the pair of them. Seriously?! Why couldn't Levi had just lied? Said he was sick? Gunther might not have believed it, but he wouldn't question Levi, if Levi put his foot down. His baby already didn't like the manoeuvre gear, or rather, it didn't appreciate him hurling himself up and down the wall. Like he was now. The werewolves were still ignoring them. An uneasy feeling had filled all of them, so he didn't know why he had to jump down and antagonise them all. It wasn't as if he could say no to Erwin and Hanji, especially when Hanji and Armin had worked their arses off to get the elevator moving, and two cannons functioning, but this was a pretty shit plan.

Dropping down to the ground, Eren staggered with emotion. For the first time in seven years, he was finally standing in Shinganshima. He was finally, actually home. With tears in his eyes, he slowly in how much worse everything was... the houses and the people... wiping his face, he fumbled out his flare gun, firing a red glare to let Levi know he was about to shift... yep. The great plan being, he shifts in to his Lycan form, he howls, and howls... and howls. Then shift back and wait for his boyfriend to haul his arse out the way. Levi had tried to argue that he didn't need to shift, but Erwin had overruled him, and now he didn't even know if he could shift. He was overwhelmed emotionally, and conflicted over whether all this was really worth injuring or losing the baby. No, he'd already come this far. Placing one hand on his stomach, he took a deep breath, letting the shift take him.

Much like last time, his body wanted to just shift back, his stomach felt like it was filled with molten metal. Howling in pain, his howls boomed across the ruined town, werewolves howling back at his cries. He barely got a second howl out before his body shifted back, leaving him falling to his knees as he gripped his stomach, his voice cracking as he sobbed   
"Eren!"  
Grabbing him by the arm, Levi hurled him up the wall, whimpering as he tried to curl up and protect his baby  
"Brat, talk to me"  
"It hurts"  
"Your stomach?"  
Eren nodded  
"Ok, loop your arm around me. You managed to get out two good howls, and they're on the move"  
Wrapping his arms around Levi, his boyfriend hauled them up as the first of the werewolves smacked into the wall below  
"Fuck...."  
"Eren?"  
"It fucking hurts"  
"You shouldn't have shifted"  
"What choice did we have?"  
"I don't know. This whole plans shit"  
Despite the pain, Eren gave out a laugh that was dangerously close to a giggle  
"I was thinking the exact same thing. I was sure the wolves would ignore me"  
"You're joking right? I think you managed to summon ever single wolf in the region"  
"Don't say that. Cannons can only do so much damage"  
"You're not going back down..."  
Looking up as Levi's sentence dropped, Gunther was coming down. Reaching them, Levi growled as the man took Eren   
"Are you alight?"  
Noooo  
"I'll be ok. How does it look?"  
"Like we should get the rest of the way up, as soon as possible"  
"Eren, you don't need to pretend"  
"I'm not pretending. We need to get out of here before Hanji starts firing"  
"He's got a point. She had that mad look in her eyes"  
"Eren..."  
"Drop it Levi. We'll deal with it when we're back up there"  
Gunther wisely shut his mouth as Levi scowled.

Landing atop the wall, Eren staggered away from Eld. Armin running over to him  
"What happened? Why did you only howl twice"  
"Not now, Armin"  
"Are you alright? Should I get Hanji"  
"He's fine. Go back to Hanji. I'll deal with this"  
Levi sounded pissed. Whining, the teen sank down to sit, leaning back as he placed his right hand on his stomach, mentally he was begging his little one to be ok, and apologising for making it suffer. Sighing, Levi came to squat beside him, his boyfriend still looked mad that he'd let Gunther take over helping him up the wall  
"How does it feel?"  
"I'll survive"  
"Eren..."  
Why the fuck did he have to glare at him?! Bursting into uncontrollable tears, he sobbed pathetically   
"What the fuck do you expect me to say? It fucking hurts!"  
"Alright. I'm sorry. I'm just worried. You sounded in so much pain"  
"Then stop fucking glaring at me! I didn't want to fucking shift!"  
"Everything alright over there?!"  
"Fuck off!"  
Levi snorted, shaking his head before looking over his shoulder to their commander. He probably really shouldn't have said that  
"We're fine Erwin! Mind your own business!"  
"He can fuck right off"  
"Eren, you need to calm back down. It's not good for you or the baby"  
"Don't fucking tell me to calm down. Your stomach doesn't feel like you've been forced to suffer Jean's shitty cooking"  
"No. My omega is in pain. How do you expect me to act over that?"  
How dare Levi play the emotions card?! He was venting at him!   
"I don't know... it just hurts"  
"Stay here. No matter what happens, you're staying up here now"  
"I'm not letting you go off and hurt"  
"And I'm not letting you risk yourself and our baby"  
"I... I want to tell you I hate you. But if anything happens..."  
"I love you, brat"  
"I love you, too... can I have a hug?"  
"You don't care that everyone's watching?"  
"I want your scent"  
Hooking his fingers in his cravat, Levi smoothly pulled the fabric off from around his throat  
"Here, keep this close"  
Getting both a hug and his lover's cravat, Eren pushed the fabric to his face, his stomach starting to settle down as he buried his face into Levi's scent  
"I'll be with the others, you don't need to move if you're not up for it. Hanji's going to start firing soon"  
"I'll stay here..."  
"Ok. Call me if you need me"  
"I will"

 

*  
Walking back over to Erwin, the blonde's eyes were still on Eren   
"Do I want to know what that was about? He barely held his form, and now he's throwing a tantrum"  
"Give him a fucking break"  
"Why should I?! When he's not prepared to do his job!"  
"His shift hurt. That's why he couldn't hold it"  
"His shift hurt?"  
"Yeah. So just back the fuck off. He just needs a little time to recover. He did his job. He fucking howled. And look at all those wolves"  
"Does Hanji need to check him?"  
"He'll be fine. He probably just needs to take a dump or something. Hanji, how are we looking?"  
"Once they finish coming closer, we'll open fire. Then Mike and Levi's squads will move in to handle them. Everyone should check their supplies"  
"And preparations to collapse the wall?"  
"That depends on Eren's condition. We may need his Lycan powers to move the rubble pieces into place"  
"Not happening. He's not up for it"  
"Levi..."  
"No. We'll use ropes and the horses if it comes to it. Our priority needs to be culling the pack numbers"  
"If we don't plug the hole, then more are going to pour in"  
"I know that. But Eren is out of action"  
"Hanji, you will check him over when Mike and Levi's team head down"  
"Eren doesn't need a fucking examination. He needs to rest"  
Hanji held her hands up to surrender, Erwin glaring towards the teen, the ridge between his brow growing   
"Guys, how about we focus on killing these werewolves?! We can figure out everything else after"  
"Then no one goes near Eren"  
"Is he dangerous? If the shift caused him pain, is he liable to shift suddenly?"  
"He's not going to force a shift. He's not aggressive"  
"You two were just arguing"  
"Because he doesn't want to make a fuss"  
"Guys! Werewolves! They're in position!"  
"Open fire. Concentrate your strikes on the larger groupings!"

Not usually a top the walls in combat situations, Levi had forgotten how loud a cannon blast could be. His posture twisting ever so slightly as he jumped, but thankfully no one seemed to notice. Watching the first cannonball hit, his hands tightened around the handles of his blades. The werewolves below howled in agony as limbs were torn off. Their bloodied muzzles snapping at the wall, while they attempted to climb out of bombardment. The wolves here were different... he didn't know how, but something about them just wasn't right. Maybe there was something here that pacified them? Some kind of mineral or stone? Maybe even something supernatural? Was that why the Government tried to wipe this place off the map? And now that Rose and Maria were in danger of falling, they knew they had to stem the flow? Perhaps they'd even sent their own retrieval team? He wouldn't put it past them. If they'd removed the reason for not letting expeditions enter sooner, than perhaps they didn't even care about their presence here? Once again, this cluster fuck of a shitty mission was leading to more questions than answers. He knew his brat would continue to seek an answer for why his town had to be sacrificed, despite Eren's urgings that they shouldn't pursue the issue. That was just who Eren was. He needed some kind of answer for all this killing  
"Team Levi, move out!"

Running down the wall, Levi fired his anchors onto the shoulder of a smaller werewolf towards the back of the pack. Where the others would go for the closer ones, he'd take out the stragglers. There was safety in numbers, so it wasn't a task he'd saddle on one of his team. Cutting through the nape, he twisted his body as he fired his anchors again. Without the large and solid terrain, all he could do was jump from wolf to wolf. His small and powerful stature made things too easy. Allowing him to kill three before having to look closer to the wall for his next target. With eyes wide, he refired his anchors, Petra was in trouble, her anchor coming lose from wall as she went to swoop down. Letting out a scream, she fell to the ground, werewolves on her within seconds. Blinded by his anger, Eld followed, Gunther the only one sticking to orders and hanging back, through the man's hands gripped his blades tighter.

With both Petra and Eld now missing, Levi grabbed his flare gun, firing a green flare to let them know there was a problem. Mike's team was down the wall in seconds, throwing themselves into the fight, or at least Mikasa did. He had to give it to her. She had guts when it came to battle. Landing on one of the wolves, he growled at the thick stench of human blood. It smelt like Eld's but with the wolves in the way, there was no telling  
"Levi, there's more coming!"  
"Keep fighting!"  
It was easy for him to say. He was determined to get to Petra and Eld. They'd lost way too much already, and he wasn't prepared to lose someone else. Dodging a clawed paw, he brought his blades down, the metal snapping off in the neck of the werewolf  
"Levi!"  
"Make the kill!"  
Swooping in, Mike sliced through the animals neck, while Levi fired his anchors into the wall. Dropping his equiped blade, he sought out two fresh ones. His eyes flicking to the pack coming from the direction of the gate  
"Levi!"  
Jumping off the wall at the last second, Levi landed on the head of the closest wolf, jumping off it with a nimble twist, his blades slicing through its nape. He had half a second to land back on the beast, only his ankle rolled as it hit the beasts back, sending him spinning as a wolf caught on his wires  
"Levi!"  
The way Mike yelled his name... it was like he was in actual danger. Eren better not have heard. His brat would jump in and risk everything. Recoiling his anchors, he hit the ground and rolled, sliding through the backs of the knees as passed under the legs of a short wolf. Using his momentum, he sprang to his feet, running on an diagonal to the wall, before firing his anchors and swinging up. Grabbing the wire of his left anchor, the recoiled the right, looking down at the diminishing wolf numbers. It was insane. Mike's team was falling apart. Mike was trying to make up for it, and Gunther had been pushed too far left to make an impact on the closest pack  
"Mike, get to Gunther!"  
Giving a curt nod, Mike shoot himself towards Gunther, while Levi moved to take his position. Between himself and Mikasa, they managed to cull the last of the taller werewolves, creating openings for the rest of Eren's friends to tackle the small. With things finally giving him the gap, Levi dropped down to the ground, bedside where Petra and Eld were last seen. Shielding Eld, Petra was missing half her spine. He could tell Eld was already dead. His anger flared, he snarled as he bared his teeth. They'd fucking killed his Squad. If he looked at things the way Eren did, then his pack was destroyed. As the alpha at the pinnacle of his pack, he had to avenge those fallen.

Levi didn't stop hacking and slashing until he finally ran out of gas. He felt no shame in the way he'd butchered the werewolves before the kill. Cutting of fingers and limbs with a cruel smile on his face. They fucking deserved it. They all fucking deserved to die. With the main threats eliminated, the remaining members of the expedition joined the clean up, chasing down rogue wolves that either hadn't been drawn by Eren's howling, or had come through the gate during the battle. Drenched in sweat, Levi wiped his brow. His eyes such a dangerous silver that they nearly glowed, as snarled pants fell from his lips. 

In the process of swapping his gas cylinders for two brought down, a small handed landed on his shoulder. Still filled with the same bloodlust and rage, he came up swinging, not caring that his opponent was now human. With the sound of bone cracking, he raised his head to see Eren clutching his face  
"Fucking hell, brat! What the fuck are you doing?!"  
Screaming at his omega, Eren stumbled back. From out of nowhere, Hanji threw herself between them  
"You need to calm down!"  
"Fuck you!"  
"Levi! You're scaring everybody!"  
"I need to do my fucking job!"  
"You hurt, Eren!"  
His mind clicked. He'd known he was the one to hit Eren, but he felt disconnected from his own consciousness. The desire for revenge pour into his racing bloodstream. Watching Eren flinch as he looked at him, everything else fell away  
"Shit... shit!"  
"Levi, calm down!"  
Despite the terror on his face, his green eyed brat, slipped around Hanji. Stumbling towards Eren, he grabbed him tightly, the teen tense in his hold  
"I'm so sorry"  
"Levi..."  
"You shouldn't be down here"  
"I couldn't sit up there"  
"I fucking punched you"  
"It's healing"  
"Fuck... Eren..."  
Eren rested his forehead on his shoulder  
"I know. I can... I can smell it. I know how hard you tried"  
"I moved..."  
"No. No. You don't get to do that right now. Right now, you need to take a deep breath and help finish the cull. They'll be dropping the sides of the wall soon"  
"You need to get back up the wall"  
"Erwin wants us all down here, helping out with the clean up"  
"I don't care"  
"Levi. It's ok. The pain has lessened, I can fight now"  
"I don't want you fighting"  
"I'm not letting you fight alone"  
"Brat..."  
"I'm going to make them pay for Ulou, and Petra, and Eldc and my mum! And for everyone else they've killed!"  
"You can't shift"  
"Levi..."  
"No! I refuse to let you. I will stop you myself if you try!"  
"I can't do nothing!"  
"You're not doing nothing! You... you're protecting our child. Please, Eren. Please do this for me"  
"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to move"  
With shaking hands, Levi pushed Eren away  
"Hanji, get him out of here"  
"Erwin wants him down here"  
"Eren is our fucking guide to this place. He's been here his whole life, he knows where everyone lived. If we find something suspicious, we need to know who was involved"  
Hanji looked just as surprised by his words as he was. He'd opened his mouth to bullshit, and that trash had dribbled out. Humming, Hanji looked around   
"Erwin's already moving towards the second cannon. They're moving it into position while Moblit moves this one. Pull your hood up and keep your head low"  
"Hanji..."  
"I can't send him back up the wall!"  
"Fine. Fuck it. Eren, go back up the wall. Tell Moblit you're there to help him or some shit. Don't come back down until I come and get you"  
"Levi..."  
"Eren. Please..."  
Closing his eyes, his boyfriend took a deep breath  
"Fine. I'll go wait on the wall, being completely fucking useless. Which is all I'm good for"  
"Eren..."  
"No. I get it. Thanks"  
Why was his shitty brat thanking him? All he wanted was to keep him and the baby safe... Eren should understand that... shit. Now he was getting angry all over again! The kid knew he'd just lost two members of his fucking team and only Sina knew where Gunther and Mike were. Fuck him. He had no right having a temper tantrum like that. The disrespectful little shit  
"Levi, finish changing your gear. We need to move"  
He nearly told Hanji to fuck off, but the sooner he fitted the canisters, the sooner he could go back to working through his issues on some pieces of shit werewolves.


	36. Chapter 36

The mood throughout the camp was somber. Their numbers only a fraction of what they'd when they rode out from Trost. Everyone had lost someone on, and Eren didn't know what to say or do to help. Especially after being singled out and yelled at by a soldier he didn't even know. It was shit. He knew they had a right to be angry, but he was hurting too. Levi hadn't even spoken since he'd returned from helping kill the remaining wolves. The fact they were even now able to make camp within the walls of Shinganshima was all thanks to the soldiers they'd lost. Hanji and Armin had gone ahead with collapsing part of the wall, the entrance not completely blocked, instead it bottlenecked, only serving to slow the werewolves down. Curled up in front of the fire, Eren kept his face against his knees, trying to drown out the dribbles of conversation around him. He'd failed. He'd failed so fucking hard that more people had died.

When the fire started to die, Levi turned in for the night. His boyfriend casting an aura of wanting to be alone, so Eren left him to it. They both could probably do with some space. Gradually, he grew restless from anger, rising to his feet and drawing the attention of Moblit. The only one who actually seemed to be awake   
"Eren?"  
"I just need to clear my head. I won't go far"  
Moblit nodded, the man returning to staring down at the blackening embers.

Waiting until he was away from the camp, he shifted. Closing his eyes as his claws dug into the sand over the cobblestone road. No matter how much he'd loved and longed for Shinganshima, it was always going to be a giant graveyard. Some day people would rebuild, but things would never be the same. Opening is eyes, he turned, initially ambling down the street, before working his way into running. Even if he couldn't remember, his feet still knew the way home, his paws thumping against the stone as he raced towards it, like he'd done when was he a human kid.

Finding his house just as flattened as he remembered it, he wanted to throw his head back and howl. The only thing stopping him was the possibility of drawing more wolves. Forcing himself to face the reality in front of his eyes, he padded over to the destroyed building, before shifting back and taking a piece of roof tile into his hand. This wasn't fair. He'd come home. He'd come home and there was nothing. No ghosts. It might have been a selfish wish to see his mother again. Or even his father. But for a place dripping with death, there wasn't even a ghost around to tell the story. Instead, the night had become eerily silent. The stars mocking them with twinkle. He was once again trapped in a cage, and couldn't even see a way out of it anymore. This was the life he'd thought he'd wanted, or, at least in part it was. He'd thought he'd always be a normal human, with a pathetic crush on his hero. Now he was the most hated person in the world, pregnant to what would be the second most hated person in the world. It wasn't fair. If there were people in this world that could carve out some small piece of happiness, why wasn't he allowed? He didn't ask to be different. He didn't ask for the ability to shift or for the ability to fall pregnant. All he'd wanted was for break down the walls and find a way to liberate humanity from their role as fodder. Hanging his head, tears streamed down his face. Tomorrow they'd ask him to shift to clear the rubble... tomorrow he could lose his baby... another senseless death.

 

*  
Unable to sleep, Levi wasn't surprised when Eren left. He also wasn't surprised when his boyfriend returned in tears. Sliding up behind him, Eren cold hand grabbed his as he shook   
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry"  
"No... you're not to blame"  
"I went home... I'm going to have shift tomorrow"  
Rolling over, Levi shook his head. He didn't care if there wasn't another way. They'd made one. He'd lost his team to this shitty hellhole. He couldn't lose his family....  
"You can't. You were in so much pain earlier"  
"There's no other way..."  
Eren's voice broke, pulling his hand over to rest on his stomach   
"I don't know how to protect it... I don't want to lose it, but... there's no other way"  
"There's always another way. We'll make another way. I can't... Eren, I can't lose you or the baby. And not here"  
"There's no other way. The house, its gone. The roof's over the rubble... even if we wanted to find out more about my family, we need to clear it to get in"  
"Then we'll use the horses"  
"Levi, there's no space. I don't know what to do"  
"Take me there?"  
"To my home?"  
"Now. While everyone is sleeping.... I want to see it. I want to see where you came from. I want to see if we can find another way"  
"It's cold. You'll need your cloak"  
"You won't keep me warm?"  
Eren sighed, his boyfriend sitting up, taking his hand off his belly and looking him in the eye   
"You're acting strange"  
He probably was. But this was Eren's fault. He'd changed him. The brat has wormed his way into his mind, twisting through his walls and cocooning around his warped emotions   
"I don't want to lose you, or our baby"  
"I know that. But we're still expected to do our jobs. Erwin isn't going to try and find another way, not when he has a convenient tool like me"  
"You're not a tool. With your strength and mine, we'll find another way"  
"Ok..."

Eren kept a tight hold on his hand and they stared down at the remains of his childhood home  
"That's it?"  
"Yeah. It's... bad, isn't it?"  
"It's not great"  
"I don't think we can do this without me shifting"  
"Just let me take a look. What did Erwin even want from in here?"  
"My dad's notes... did you know they looked into my family? They couldn't even find anything on him... it was like... like he just showed up one day..."  
"You didn't know your grandparents?"  
"Mum's parents died when I was super young... dad never talked about his..."  
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Levi had held this mental image of Eren growing up, being spoilt rotten by them. The kid loved his family... so he just kind of figured that they'd all be a tight unit. Everybody in everybody else's business...  
"Where were your dad's notes?"  
"He kept an office in the basement. We weren't allowed down there. Erwin's got it in his head there's something down there, but now we know the gate was blown up intentionally... maybe there is something down there"  
His omega sniffled, trying to pull his hand from his. Tugging Eren into a hug, Levi rubbed his boyfriends back with his free hand  
"Eren. You're not your father. Whatever he did, it has nothing to do with you. Ok. No matter what we find, I'll stand by you"  
"But all this could be our fault... if dad... if dad was treating supernaturals or maybe even one... it could be why the Government blew up the gate"  
"In that case, don't you think your dad was doing the right thing? And that those pieces of shit that decided to elect themselves to Government, are the ones in the wrong?"  
"But if dad did something wrong..."  
"Eren, don't go there. Just focus on you and the baby for now. Ok?"  
"I'll try... I can still shift to a wolf... maybe we can dig our way in?"  
"After today, I think you need to give shifting a rest. Let me take a look at this pile... at the house"  
"Smooth save"  
"I thought so. Why don't you sit down?"  
"Because I don't want to"  
"Brat, go talk to the baby, or something. I need to think"  
"Are you saying I'm distracting?"  
"I'm saying you're very distracting. Right now, I want to feed and I want to fuck you"  
Eren laughed, his cold nose pressing into Levi's neck   
"If you find a way in, I'll let you do anything you want to me"  
"Go. Sit. Right now"  
"Yes,sir"  
Purring the words, Eren let go. Jogging over to to ruins of the house across the road, his omega settled himself on the edge of the ledge. The cheeky shit throwing him a thumbs up. After his day, the last thing he wanted to do was go shuffling through a pile of refuse... even if it was Eren's house. This was for their baby. It was so Eren's child... Not even born and causing trouble.

After an hour or so of moving debris, Levi couldn't go any future. Even if Eren was to help, the roof beams were too heavy for the pair of them. Annoyed and covered in dust, he hated giving up. Giving up meant Eren would have to shift. There wasn't even a way to tunnel into the basement, the foundations seemed to be made of solid stone, so solid that he had no idea how the man had even created a basement in the first place. Feeling like he'd failed again, he brushed himself off as he walked to Eren, his footsteps heavy, as if his boots were filled with led. Sliding off the wall, Eren came to him, meeting him halfway with a small yawn  
"I can tell by the look"  
"I'm sorry"  
"No... you tried. And you cleared a lot... so maybe... maybe things will look better in the morning?"  
"Shitty brat. You don't need to try and make me feel better"  
"Today's just been... today's been a rough day"  
"It's been completely shit"  
"Yeah. What do you say I show you where the well is?"  
"That might just be the best idea you've had all day"  
"Really? Because I think you need to feed"  
"That was my idea"  
"Mine now"  
Why was he in love with this cheeky little shit?!

 

*  
"Eren! Wake up!"  
After cleaning off at the well, Eren had led him up to his favourite spot, near the tree he used to nap by. Laying in each other's arms, the sex had been soft and sweet, Levi eventually falling asleep with his head against Eren's stomach. He really was hopelessly in love with the small swell, and it truly felt like the one thing going right for the pair of them. Unlike the fact they'd overslept  
"Eren, come on..."  
"Fuck off, I'm sleepy"  
"Eren, the suns up. We're late"  
"If we're already late, what does is matter if we just fall back to sleep"  
His boyfriends sleepy mumble was completely precious, and if he could, he'd let Eren spend the whole day napping in the sun   
"I love you, you little shit. But we're late and Erwin's not going to be happy"  
"Ah fuck... I forgot about Sir Fluffybrows"  
"Fluffybrows?"  
"You call him "Shitty Eyebrows"... Blonde Arsehole with Ridiculous Eyebrows is just too long"  
"You could shorten it to BARE"  
"I don't want to think of Erwin being bare... in any way, shape, or form. Ew... why would you do that to me? I'm awake now, you jerk"  
Stealing a kiss from Eren's pouty lips, he then kissed his way down to Eren's stomach, mouthing at the swell  
"Levi... don't start something we can't finish"  
"I just wanted to say hello to our baby"  
"Then save your kisses for me. I don't want to be jealous"  
"You have nothing to be jealous about, but just let me give you something so you don't forget you're mine"  
Moving across to Eren's exposed hip, Levi licked the taunt skin, cleaning the spot before sucking a dark and possessive hickey on the soft caramel skin  
"Levi!"  
"Come on, you shit"  
"Kiss me again?"  
"Will you get up?"  
"Parts of me already have"  
Punching Eren in the arm, his boyfriend finally started moving, trying to scowl at him while smiling with his eyes.

With Eren's guidance, they made it back to the house in a manner of minutes. Hanji howling with laughter as they both arrived  
"Gentlemen. How nice of you to join us"  
"We were up late cleaning up the rubble"  
"So that's what they call it now"  
Poking her tongue out, Hanji dodged the elbow Eren threw her way  
"Oh, relax. You're not even that late"  
Erwin cleared his throat, shooting Hanji a disapproving voice  
"As I was saying, we need to figure out how to proceed. Mikasa has already pointed out where the basement entrance is in"  
Hanji did a little dance?, or maybe she was having a fit?, before pointing down at the roof remnants  
"Yep! It's right there, under those massive beams..."  
"Eren's not shifting. Find another way"  
"It's the easiest way"  
"And what if we're attacked while moving the rubble"  
"That's why we have people waiting at both gates. Seriously. We can't get a horse down here, let alone two or three. All he needs to do is shift"  
"He's not shifting!"  
Looking to Eren, Erwin frowned   
"Is there some reason why Eren shouldn't shift?"  
"Because he should have a choice in what he does! It's his fucking body"  
"That's funny. It's thanks to us that he's not dead as it is. Eren, is there any reason why you shouldn't shift?"  
Eren opened and closed his mouth, before looking to his feet  
"No? Good. You will shift and you will move this roof"  
"He's not fucking shifting! Hanji, find another fucking way!"  
"Erwin... maybe, maybe we should..."  
"If they'd managed to keep it in their pants for longer than 5 seconds, and actually been here when they were supposed to, they might have had a say in it. Instead, it's already halfway through the morning, and now Eren won't shift, because he refused to listen to his superior officers. Eren. Let me make this simple. Either you shift and move those beams, or, I take you into custody and I turn you over to the Military Police on a charge of treason"  
"You can't do that!"  
"Watch me"  
Levi stepped forward, but Eren darted in front of him. His boyfriend looked miserable, as if the worst had already happened. Leaving in, Eren kissed just in front of his ear  
"I'm so sorry"  
"Eren..."  
"I... I really wanted to have this baby with you"  
"We can try something else"  
"They'll send me away. I don't want to be sent away... they'll torture me. They'll take the baby"  
"Eren, don't do this"  
"Levi, get away from him right now"  
"He's not fucking shifting!"  
"You're going to be selfish enough to sentence him to death?! I never thought you'd be this stupid"  
"Please Levi... maybe...."  
"Don't say it'll be alright. You were in so much pain yesterday"  
"If I get it done quick..."  
"Eren, you have until the count of 5. 1... 2..."

Shoving him back as hard as he could, Eren turned, shifting with the most heartbreaking howl he'd ever heard from the boy. Lashing out, the beams cracked as they shifted slightly, roofing falling off the side of the block. Howling, Eren was about to strike them again, when his body shifted back. The teen screaming as he fell to the ground, his arms around his stomach as he screamed again  
"Eren!"  
Jumping up, Levi rushed to his brat, lifting him into his arms, growling as Hanji tried to approach   
"Eren... please"  
"Levi, what's going on?"  
"He needs help!"  
Using his knee to balance Eren as he tried to find a hold that didn't hurt him omega, he let out a choke half sob as the knee of his pants grew wet  
"Levi..."  
"Come on, brat... come on..."  
"Levi, I need to examine him"  
"Haven't you all done enough! You forced him into this!"  
Whimpering, Eren's lips moved, voicing a silent apology that was meant for no one other than their baby  
"I've got you. I'm taking you back to our tent. You're going to be ok"

Laying Eren down, his omega his sleeve, sobbing as he tried to bury his face against Levi's chest  
"Shhh... shhh... you've got to calm down for me. Ok. You're putting more stress on the baby..."  
"Alpha... it hurts"  
"I know. I know it does"  
The tent flap rustled as Hanji climbed in, Levi pulling Eren tighter again him as he bared his teeth   
"Get out!"  
"Levi, Eren needs medical help. He's bleeding"  
"Get out and leave us alone!"  
Whimpering at his cold tone, Levi rocked Eren, stroking his hair as he hushed him again  
"Eren, it's Hanji. I need to examine you, ok?"  
Whimpering again, his brat nodded slightly   
"Ok. I'm going to work at getting your boots and pants off. You don't have to look. Levi, keep trying to calm him down"

If Eren hadn't consented, Levi would have broken Hanji's fingers for touching his hurting boyfriend. Laying on his side, Eren still had his face hidden against Levi, while the smell of his brat's blood had his stomach rolling. He'd never forgive Erwin for this. The man should have known Eren was pained from shifting. He'd fucking seen it the day before. But no. All he cared about was getting into the fucking basement. He hoped whatever down there was gone. He hoped the man's efforts resulted in nothing. Just so he could feel some measure of pain, like the pain both he and Eren were going through. Gasping as Hanji probed, Levi growled   
"Is he... is he what I think he is?"  
"If you think he's fucking pregnant, then you're fucking right"  
"Ok... Eren, I know it hurts, but I can't tell if you're losing it or not. For now, I want you to lay on your back and stay very still. All we can do is wait for now"  
"Are you fucking serious?!"  
"If I'd known he was pregnant, maybe I could have fucking stopped this. Instead, you both kept it to yourselves"  
"Of course we did! Erwin is looking for anything, anything at all that he can use to kick Eren out the Survey Corps and to seperate us!"  
"Levi"  
"Don't Levi me. He's my fucking world Hanji. And he was so fucking scared over being pregnant, but he's even more scared of being taken and cut to pieces. Of having our baby cut to pieces"  
"Look. If Erwin asks..."  
"You say nothing. He probably doesn't even care. He didn't bother coming to check. No. All he cares about is what he might find in that basement"  
"I don't care. I'm done with both of you right now. Eren needs to rest and stay still. Anything he needs, you do it for him. If the bleeding increases, let me know. I'm sick of being stuck in the middle of this! You two used to be fucking friends, now you're acting like little kids. Get your act together"  
Hanji stormed from the tent, while Levi rolled Eren onto his back. His boyfriend didn't want to let him go. Reaching behind, he pulled his blankets over, using them to give Eren some privacy, before settling to sit beside him, stroking Eren's hair again  
"You're ok... you're ok, I'm here"  
"I'm sorry"  
"No... shhh, it's not your fault"  
"The baby..."  
"Shhh. Hey, if it's anything like you, it's stubborn and it's a fighter. Don't give up on it brat"  
"Can you lay down with me? I'm cold"  
"Sure. I'm not going anywhere"  
"I'm sorry"  
"Don't make me repeat myself"  
Eren gave him a smile that also may have been a grimace, but he chose to take it as a smile. His brat was strong... and hopefully their baby would be too.

Eren gave into his exhaustion, Levi found himself unable to close his eyes, nor could he stop rubbing Eren's stomach as he prayed to whatever was out there that their baby would be alright. Left alone for the remainder of the morning, their peace was interrupted when Hanji came back at lunch. Creeping into the tent, she smiled softly at Eren   
"How is he?"  
"Groggy. He managed to fall asleep"  
"The bleeding?"  
"I haven't checked"  
"Do you think you can roll him onto his side for me?"  
"He's sleeping"  
"I know, but if he's miscarrying, I'll be able to tell better now that it's been a few hours"  
He wanted to deny her. If she didn't look, she couldn't confirm he was. But he couldn't do that to Eren. Eren would want to know when he woke. Gently, he nudged Eren's leg with his, while snaking his arm around Eren's waist. Still sleeping, the omega turned into his hold, mumbling his name as he did  
"I've got you... shh... I'm still here"  
Hanji didn't even pull her usual "aw" bullshit, as she slid between Eren and the tent side, pushing the blankets back gently to examine the teen. A few very long moments passed, before Hanji let out a small sigh  
"What? If he lost it, just say it"  
"No. The bleeding stopped. There's no sign of tissue in the anal canal. I still want him resting and staying as still as possible"  
"What about Erwin?"  
"He needs to speak with you"  
"He can fuck off"  
"It's about Eren"  
"I don't care. No one's to come near us"  
"Levi..."  
"If he comes near my mate while he's this fucking vulnerable, I will tear his throat out with my fucking teeth and present his head to Eren as a fucking trophy"  
"Alright then. Make sure he eats and drinks when he wakes. I'll see what I can do to keep Erwin away for now"  
"We're out of food in here"  
"Out of food?"  
"He eats a lot..."  
"Because he's pregnant. His body needs the nutrients. Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were friends"  
"Friendship has nothing to do with it. You know you could lose your head"  
"I could have helped you!"  
Eren groaned, Hanji shaking her head  
"Sorry. I'll see what I can do"

 

*  
Nuzzling into Levi, Eren felt sick to the bottom of his stomach. He'd lost their baby. He'd lost it... How was Levi so ok with laying there with him, his alpha was rubbing his tender stomach, hushing him softly. Groaning as he tried to curl away, Levi held him in place   
"Eren?"  
He didn't want to hear it. Shaking his head, he just wanted to fade into the ground   
"Brat. You're just fine"  
He wasn't fine...  
"Eren, Hanji said you didn't lose the baby"  
That got his attention. Snapping his head up to look Levi in the eye, the top of his head smacking solidly into Levi's nose with a crunch. Gasping, he tried to push his bleeding boyfriend away  
"Stop moving!"  
"You... your nose. I broke your nose!"  
"It'll heal"  
"But your nose..."  
"Eren. Right now, my nose doesn't matter. Hanji wants you to stay still and to rest"  
"But your nose"  
"Forget about my nose. You didn't lose the baby"  
"But... what...?"  
"She examined you. The bleeding tapered off. But she wants to you to stay still for now"  
"She knows?"  
"Yeah"  
Oh fuck... oh fuck. Oh. Fuck! Everyone was going to know... Erwin was going to know... He was going to be sent away...  
"Eren. No. Ok. Calm down"  
"Erwin"  
"He couldn't care less right now. He does want to talk, but he doesn't know"  
"Why didn't she tell him?"  
"Because she wants you resting. And eating"  
Eren was about to protest how he totally didn't feel like food, but his traitor of a stomach, rumbled. The teens cheeks flushed red   
"That's a good sign. Hanji was going to get us food, so she should be around here somewhere"  
Struggling against Levi, his boyfriend held him back down  
"Where are you going?"  
"Food?"  
"I'll organise the food"  
"But I need to pee"  
"You're not supposed to be moving around"  
"Tell my bladder that"  
"I can find a bucket..."  
"I'm not pissing in a bucket!"  
"You're not supposed to be up and moving"  
"Levi, I can pee"  
His alpha sighed deeply, pulling out a low blow  
"You're not going to risk our baby like that, just because you need to pee"  
"Fine. If you carry me there, I'll pee"  
"Or..."  
"Levi, I will hit you right now"  
"Again?"  
"Argh!"

His scream attracted Hanji from wherever she'd been. Poking her head in the tent, she smiled   
"How's our mum to be? And oh my Sina! What happened to your nose, Levi?"  
"An accident. The brat has a question for you"  
Thanks Levi. Thanks   
"Levi said I didn't lose it"  
"No sweetie. There was bleeding, but no tissue or clots. I want you to take the next 24 hours easy"  
"I can't... I need to be doing something"  
"Don't worry about a thing"  
"Erwin said..."  
"Erwin's busy. A lot of rubble fell down into the stairwell, so he's overseeing the excavation"  
"They haven't gotten in yet?"  
"Nope. Mikasa won't let anyone in without you there. She can be pretty scary when she's determined"  
"So you're waiting?"  
"Until you're up and moving. Speaking of which, I heard screaming"  
"Levi won't let me go to the bathroom"  
"I told him he's not supposed to be up and moving around"  
"He wants me to pee in a bucket"  
"Because you're supposed to be resting"  
"You should be resting. You broke your nose on my head!"  
"Eren, don't yell at Levi"  
"Levi. Let him at least get up to pee. If you help him, he'll be fine"  
"You told me not to let him move"  
"I meant don't let him roll around too much or get up and go running. Besides, he's spent like 6 hours on his back. Just let me give him a quick examination, and then you can help pee"  
"Can I pee first?"  
"How long have you made him hold it?!"  
"He woke up needing to pee!"  
"Levi. Let the mum to be, go pee"  
"Then he's going to need pants"  
"Hanji, can you not keep calling me "mum to be". I don't want to think about it, not when I could still lose the baby..."  
And not when Levi could lose his head over getting him pregnant...  
"Sorry. I'm just so amazed. I honestly saw no signs of your womb reforming, and those powders... it's just, amazing"  
"You're making him uncomfortable"  
"Can both of you shut up now. I really, really need to pee"

Levi insisted on carrying him out of the tent, and behind the rubble not too far at from the camp. The relief was amazing. Even if Levi wouldn't back off and give him any privacy at all. The moment he was done, he was carried back to the tent. Hanji waiting with Erwin out the front of it. Eren heart sank  
"Eren. Nice to see you up and moving. Hanji said you needed rest, but that doesn't seem to be the case now"  
"No. He's still resting. He just needed to use the bathroom!"  
Erwin didn't need to know that! Nor did everyone in the surrounding area, and his eardrum didn't appreciate being basically yelled in  
"Levi, take it down a notch. Erwin, Eren needs rest"  
"Mikasa is insisting you be there when we open the door"  
"You can wait"  
"I'm talking to Eren"  
"As his doctor, I'm telling you that I need to examine him and that he needs to rest"  
"He's rested all day"  
Levi growled, his alpha lowering him to stand shakily  
"He can't even stand properly"  
"We need to get into that room"  
"It can wait until tomorrow"  
"Levi, back off"  
"No. You back off! You have no idea what's going on with him!"  
"I am so sick of this! You seem to have forgotten that you're supposed to be a Squad Leader!"  
"How can I be a fucking team leader when my fucking team is dead! Do you even give a fuck about Eld or Petra?!"  
"Of course I do! Did! But they died for this!"  
Whimpering, Eren would have fallen if Hanji didn't guide his decent down   
"Guys! That's enough!"  
"Now what's wrong with him?"  
"Blood loss! I told you he needs to rest!"  
"Levi..."  
"Don't Levi me! Eren is sick, and he's spent the whole day fucking bleeding because you made him shift! I tried to tell you no, but you never listen to anyone!"  
"Then you know what's wrong with him?"  
"Of course I know what's wrong with him! He's my boyfriend. If you weren't such an arsehole, you'd know too!"  
"Either you start giving me answers, or I will have you both detained!"  
He couldn't take much more of this. He was sick of what their relationship with Erwin had become. He was sick of Levi and Erwin always butting heads when it came to him. He was tired of everyone yelling and screaming all the time. Turning into Hanji's hold, he sniffled  
"Hanji, can we go somewhere else?"  
"What are you saying?"  
Flinching at Erwin, he felt something inside snap. Rising to his feet, with Hanji's help, he knew he was about to get himself in a fuckload of trouble  
"I asked her to take me somewhere else. I am so sick of this! I'm sick of you and Levi fighting all the fucking time! I'm sick of you taking all this shit out of me, and not respecting me! I'm sick of you blaming me for Levi not returning your feelings! I'm sick of you acting like you're some great hero and saviour, when all you care about is your own agenda! You and Levi were friends! I've lost friends, and if Levi lost you, he'd be fucking broken! But he wouldn't say that, because you're an arsehole! His nose is fucking broken, and don't act like you don't care because you've staring at it the whole time"  
Pausing through a throb in his stomach, he took another deep breath  
"I'm sorry I've been fucking sick. I'm sorry that I've repeatedly tried to ignore your pettiness and bullying! I'm sorry that I never wanted to make a fuss out of everything! I wanted to do my job and kill werewolves while helping people! That's all I ever wanted! But I can't fucking shift right now! Because honestly, I'm choosing my life, over your arsehole agenda... sir..."  
Hanji groaned. Levi covered his mouth to hide his smile. Erwin... Erwin needed a moment to process. The man's face becoming twisted with anger. Then a slight hint of shame over the "friends" thing. Followed by a hop, skip and a jump straight back to anger  
"Hanji, take him away. I don't care where. I just don't want to see his face"  
Hanji's arm wrapped tighter around his waist, the pain was coming back in a wave. With a hiss, his knees just about gave out   
"Eren!"  
"Stay here and work it out with Erwin. I'm so done with this shit"

As Hanji lead him away, Erwin wasn't exactly quite as he turned to Levi  
"He's certainly fiery"  
"You're an arsehole"  
"Apparently"  
"And you got me in trouble..."  
Eren would have shaken his head, if it hadn't been effort   
"It's alright, we're just going to my tent. So much for not getting you too worked up"  
"Please tell me I can pass out soon"  
"Yep, three more steps, a quick examination and some food. Then you can sleep all you like"  
"Can we skip to the food thing?"  
"Nope"  
"Shit"  
"Language. No swearing in front of the baby"  
Oh Holy Sina. Why did the world have to be so beautiful and so, very cruel?!


	37. Chapter 37

Left in peace, Eren was happy to pass out. Hanji had examined him, before feeding him so much that he didn't know if his belly ached because of the baby or the sheer amount of food he'd consumed, and though he partly regretted yelling at Erwin, he kind of didn't as well. If it got Levi and Erwin to stop fighting because of him, he didn't mind getting in a little trouble. Given a light sedative, the teen slept well into the night, his stomach still tender but not so bad when he was woken by Levi. His boyfriend climbing into Hanji tent, before gently waking him. His nose still looked swollen, but it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Not with the crack it'd given. Yawning, Eren offered an almost shy smile  
"Hey"  
"Hey. How are you feeling?"  
"I'm ok. It's nowhere near as bad as it was"  
"Good"  
"How's your nose?"  
"It'll be fine, though I'm once again impressed by how hard headed you are"  
"If you're being an arsehole, then it can't be that bad"  
"Shitty brat"  
"Yeah... is it safe to ask how things went with Erwin"  
"I gave him a black eye"  
"Levi!"  
"It's fine. He was impressed you finally yelled at him"  
"I don't know if I want him to be impressed"  
"We talked. He's seen the error of his ways"  
"Why do I feel like that's why he's got a black eye?"  
"It doesn't matter now. Are you up to getting up and moving?"  
"Depends on where we're going?"  
"I thought you might want to check that basement out before everyone else got there"  
"What about Mikasa? She forced them to wait"  
"Your two little friends are waiting outside"  
"And Erwin?"  
"Will wait until you've been in"  
Taking the hand Levi offered him, Eren leant in, stealing a quick kiss   
"What did Hanji say about why I was sleeping?"  
"Blood loss from yesterday. It was so hectic that no one would even think otherwise"  
"Did you tell Erwin?"  
"No. I think that's a conversation for another time"  
"You're probably right... though he's going to get mad all over again"  
"Don't worry. I'll tell him when the times right. For now, we should move"

Mikasa insisted on glaring at Levi, while Armin's hand kept brushing against his as they walked towards the remains of his childhood home. He was grateful to Levi for organising this without Erwin's presence, but wasn't completely sure he was mentally ready for whatever they were going to find. He kind of hoped his father was helping other supernaturals, because he "selfishly" wanted to know he wasn't the only one of his kind. If more shifters like him existed, the Government wouldn't be able to hide it. They'd be able to actually admit that they'd all seen some crazy shit in the course of their investigations. Levi wouldn't need to hide anymore. He wouldn't be tortured or treated like shit and their baby... their baby could lead a normal life without the fear of being killed. Squeezing Levi's hand, his boyfriend gave a firm squeeze back. As Armin's hand brushed his again, he grabbed it, his friend stumbling in shock, before smiling at him. It didn't matter if Erwin didn't consider Armin to be his family, he did and his friend deserved to be there.

Leading the group down to the cellar, Levi wore a perpetual scowl. The dust, damp, spiders and webs was probably all too much for clean loving mate. Reaching the door at the bottom of the curved staircase was semi-anticlimactic. The door was completely unremarkable, a basic wooden door with thick straps of iron to hold is shape, with a small lock on the outside   
"Do you want me to break it down, or do you want to?"  
"You're not breaking it down"  
"Mikasa..."  
"No. This was Grisha's room"  
"Mikasa, dad's gone"  
"You don't know that..."  
"Then where has he been?! Where was he when mum was being eaten alive? Where was he when Armin's grandfather had to look after us?! He was a doctor! They would have listened to him, and we never would have had to lose him. He's gone. He abandoned us!"  
"He..."  
"He what? He what, Mikasa? It's been 7 years. If he was still alive, he would have found us by now. Levi, break it down"  
"Stand back"

Booting the door, it took Levi several attempts for it to finally break... even with his boyfriend's strength. Shielding him from the falling dust, Eren kissed Levi's shoulder, getting a grunt of appreciation, before choking on the taste of dust  
"We need to let it air. Eren, cover your mouth. I don't want you inhaling dust and mould"  
"Too late. Maria, that stinks!"  
"Shitty brat, you know better than that"  
"Don't blame me. You're the one who wanted to come down here"  
"Because I know it's what you wanted"  
"Maybe. But you could have waited a little longer. I don't know what's in there"  
"This way you'll have time to process before you have to face everyone again"  
"I hate when you get sensible"  
"Then you should try to keep up"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren pushed Levi away, moving to sit on the cold step beside Armin, who was looking everywhere but at him  
"What's going on with you?"  
"What! Me!? Nothing!"  
Armin's voice was sky high as he waved his hands while he squeaked. Levi snorted, crossing his arms as he looked down at the pair of them  
"Armin. That wasn't suspicious at all"  
"It's just... Commander Erwin is   
going to be so mad! We're sneaking around at night, and... he had to wait all day as it was"  
"Don't worry about Shitty Eyebrows. He knows"  
"Commander Erwin knows?"  
"Armin, Levi already cleared it for us. So that we could learn the truth and have time to adjust, before he steps in. Whatever's inside there, it becomes his property once he gets in there. Even if there's nothing there, we'll still see that before him"  
"Is it really ok to make him wait?"  
"It's his form of an apology for being such a shitty arsehole to Eren. He admitted he was blinded by his need to know the truth. He's... he's had a rough past"  
Mikasa huffed  
"So does that mean anyone who's had a rough past can just take it out on Eren?"  
"I didn't say that"  
"But you're friends with him again, even after what Eren went through?!"  
"Don't take that tone with me. Eren himself wanted Erwin and I to talk"  
"Do you even care about him? You woke him up and dragged him down here. Isn't you who wants answers?"  
"Of course I fucking care about him. Don't think for a single second that I don't"  
"Then why are you such an arsehole to him. He should be resting"  
Eren closed his eyes as he sighed. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he opened them slowly   
"Mikasa. That's enough. I told Erwin and Levi to talk, and me being down here is for my own benefit. Levi brought us here so we could learn the truth"  
"And what? What happens next?"  
"Once we know what's going on, we can go from there. With just a small group, we can contain whatever information we find"  
"Do you hear yourself right now? You don't even sound like... you"  
"Guys. Can we not fight? Mikasa, you know Eren and Levi are in a relationship. They made this choice for themselves and I think it's been good for Eren"  
"Armin..."  
Looking to boyfriend, Eren sighed  
"Do you think it's been long enough? I don't particularly want to get into another fight"  
"It should be. The dust has settled"  
"Then let's see what dad had to hide"  
"Eren!"  
"Mikasa. He left us and I want to know why. For now. That's the priority. You and Levi can talk it out once we're done here"  
His boyfriend didn't look thrilled at the prospect, but shrugged it off as he casually turns towards the door. Pushing himself up, Eren paused. His heart was starting to race again over what could be waiting.

Covered in a thick layer of dust, his father's office smelt like him. Memories coming rushing back, as his anger started to rise. The man had left him. Had left him and his mum and Mikasa... and he hadn't even come back after his mum had died. He never really thought about how much that had fucking hurt. Maybe it was because he was soon going to be a parent himself that it felt like the wound had been torn open. He loved his baby, and he barely even knew it. He couldn't walk away from it, so how had his dad been able to? Rationally he knew it was more likely that his father had been killed, but he'd never heard anything about that being the case... and now it was entirely possible, he was going to find out things he never really wanted to know. Placing the lantern on a work bench, the whole room seemed to twist and warp in the shadows, but that may have been from his rising panic   
"Well, Brat. He was your father"  
"Umm... Levi, start on the filing cabinets. Armin, gather up any books or papers laying around. We won't touch the stuff on the walls yet. Mikasa and I will work on the desk... if he did hide something down here, it's probably really well hidden. Basements were supposed to be illegal anyway, so if there is something, he would have needed to protect it from anyone searching"  
"Look for hidden compartments"  
Eren nodded quickly as he moved to his father's desk. It wasn't hard to imagine his father pouring over his documents... in fact, this room actually suited the man pretty well. His father had kept his secrets, and this felt like a room filled with them. Opening the top draw, the first thing he smelt was the familiar scent of medical herbs and cloves, bringing tears to his eyes. Why'd he have to leave? And why did he have to leave him to be chopped to pieces?

Emptying out the desk drawers, Mikasa moved to feeling for anything hidden in the solid wood, while Eren was now sitting beside the desk, staring down at his shaking hands. He felt like he was about to vomit from the stress. Armin was still checking everything he found, and Levi was pretending the filing cabinet was much more interesting than it really was, trying to give him space to process. This was all too much. Burying his face in his hands, he drew his knees up as he started to cry in earnest. Being annoyingly aware of almost everything he'd ever done, Mikasa stopped to loudly ask  
"Eren, are you ok?"  
"Just go back to searching the desk"  
"You're crying"  
"Go back to checking"  
"Not until you tell me what's wrong..."  
"Mikasa, maybe you should give him some space. This is his dad's office"  
"He was my father too, Armin"  
"Leave him alone and keep searching"  
"You don't care that your boyfriend's crying?"  
"He needs to deal with this on his own"  
"Screw that! Eren, why are you with someone so heartless!?"  
"Don't talk about Levi like that"  
"What?"  
Striking out to smash his fist against the desk, he didn't hold back his strength and despite the would being over a centimetre thick, his hand passed straight through the side  
"Stop talking about Levi like you fucking know him! I know everyone thinks he's some stuck up arsehole, or that he couldn't care less, but that's because they don't know him!"  
Pulling his hand out, he whimpered at the sight of blood pouring from where it'd gotten caught on the splintered wood  
"Brat..."  
"It'll heal... I'm just so tired of this. Dad left us nothing! Shinganshima was destroyed for nothing!"  
Walking to him, Levi squatted down and took his hand in his, the man stripping off the white handkerchief covering his mouth so he could wipe the blood away  
"I'm sorry"  
"It's not your fault. Blame the shitty desk"  
Levi sighed, before narrowing his eyes. Letting go of his hand, the man slipped his smaller one into the side of the desk  
"What is it?"  
"There's something in here... got it"  
Pulling the object up, it caught on the hole, falling from Levi's grip  
"Have we got something we can bust the side of this open with?"  
"I wouldn't recommend my hand"  
"Not funny brat. Armin, make yourself useful and find some timber or something. Mikasa, why don't you help him?"  
"Armin doesn't need my help"  
"Well, why don't you just go watch him. I need to have a word with Eren"  
"Anything you need..."  
"Mikasa. Enough. Please just go with Armin"  
He loved her, but she seriously needed to back off. She was turning into the female version of Erwin... which meant her eyebrows might start growing at any moment. The thought bringing a smile to his lips as the pair left  
"What's so funny?"  
"It's nothing. I... guess you're going to lecture me? About my hand?"  
"No. I know better than to do that by now. I can smell how upset and confused you are. I just wanted to know what you're thinking"  
"I'm thinking my dad was a jerk for leaving... I thought I was over it, but apparently not"  
"You know, no matter what happens, I'm not leaving you or our baby"  
"Levi, you can't make that promise"  
"I can and I am"  
Placing both hands on his stomach, his boyfriend rubbed at his swell with his finger tips  
"I'm serious about this"  
"I know... maybe this was too much"  
"Are you hurting physically?"  
"A little. It's not as bad as it was, and I think they like it when you rub my stomach"  
"Do you they like it? Or do you like it?"  
"Both? It feels so intimate"  
"There's only four of us in this whole world who know..."  
"And there's only one person allowed to touch me like you are"  
"I'm glad we agree on it. I swear you're bigger than yesterday"  
"Probably because I also have a food baby happening. Hanji fed me so much"  
"She fed you?"  
"No need to sound so shocked. She took note of everything I ate"  
"Mmm. It makes me want to see"  
"I'm sorry. I'm not up for that. I'm not even up for this. I'm grateful Erwin isn't here to see me crying"  
"Mikasa is just like him. She just needs the eyebrows"  
"You think so too?"  
"I don't think we're ever going to get along"  
"You will. Once things settle down... so wait, probably not"  
"Shitty brat"  
"You already said that. You can stop touching now. It's starting to make me horny"  
Levi smirked, leaning into kiss him  
"Why would I stop?"  
"Because I'm not up for sex and asked you to?"  
Levi immediately removed his hands from Eren's stomach, moving them to cup his face   
"Anything you ever want or need, all you have to do is ask"  
"I know. Thank you. My stomach feels better. Maybe they just want to meet their daddy?"  
"They can stay in there where they're safe"  
"Mmm... another 8 months or so"  
"That's if you carry to full term. I don't know if my DNA or your DNA will change that"  
"Don't say that. I've got enough to worry about, without the threat of premature labour"  
"I know. I'm sorry"  
Nuzzling their faces against each other, Eren pressed small kisses to his alpha's lips. He couldn't have done any of this without Levi.

 

*  
"Can't we leave you alone for five minutes?"  
Growling as Mikasa interrupted his time with his brat, he was seriously tried of the girls shit. He hadn't seen it at first, well, he had, but now he understood why she was the way she was. She was in love with Eren. He couldn't fault her on taste. Eren was pretty much everything he could hope for. Even with the tears and the hormones, he could forgive it all with the knowledge Eren was never going to leave him, and that his brat was pregnant with a brat of their own. No one else could claim that. Mikasa stood no chance, and she never would   
"What did you find?"  
Sheepishly, Armin held up what seemed to be a smaller piece of roof beam  
"Most of it was cleared away or burnt to make space"  
"Then we'll have to make it work. Eren, you need to move"  
"Help me up then?"  
Sighing, Levi helped his boyfriend away from the desk, not missing the way Eren swayed or sagged against the work bench while one hand went to his stomach. The teen might have said he felt better, but he probably still felt like shit. Passing him the timber, Levi pushed the end into the hole, before placing his back against the wall and planting his foot the side  
"Be careful, sir"  
"Let's just stick with Levi when no one else is around"  
"I couldn't call you that"  
Eren snickered, before doing a terrible job of covering it with a cough   
"Shut up, you"  
"I didn't say anything"  
"No, you just fucking laughed. Don't act like you weren't the same"  
"I got used to it"  
"Sex will do that"  
"You want to have sex with Armin?"  
"Ew. No. Why don't you go die and try to be reborn as something better?"  
"Because you love me how I am?"  
"Just move out the way, if this snaps, I don't want to have to carry your broken arse back to the castle"  
"Just don't break a hip"  
Eren was so fucking lucky he loved him, and that he hadn't told him to cut it out. Kicking against the piece of wood, he slowly expanded the hole enough that he'd be able to get whatever had been down there, out. Letting the wood fall to the floor, he squatted down and stuck his hand back inside the desk, feeling around for the thing that had slipped from his fingers before  
"Do you need some help?"  
"I need a cart full of soap and enough hot water to go with it"  
"It's not that bad"  
Scowling, his fingers finally found the object, allowing him to free it from the confines of the desk. It didn't look like anything special, instead it was just a small package wrapped in brown paper   
"What's that?"  
"How am I supposed to know?"  
"Magic"  
"The only magic at work here is the fact I haven't kicked you all out. Given this was your father's, you get to do the honours"  
While Mikasa eyed the package like she was about to snatch it away, Eren pushed back from the work bench, wrapping his arms around his stomach   
"Can we get out of here then? This dust is revolting"  
And probably horrible for his lungs and the baby. As it was, he was burning his and Eren's clothes the first change he got and never setting foot back down here again. Erwin could have the creepy-arse room and all it's disgustingness   
"That's the smartest thing you've said in the last 5 minutes. You're getting better"

Wrapping his arm around his brat, Levi kept hold of the package as they headed up the stairs. Eren felt too warm against him, his clothes stuck to him with sweat  
"You're not going to puke are you?"  
"I'll make sure to aim towards you, if I do"  
"It'll probably be better than all this shitty dust"  
"I don't have to go back down there tomorrow, right?"  
"No. For now, we'll get cleaned up then take a look at whatever this is"  
"You're staying right, while we go through this?"  
"I told you. you're not going through this alone"  
"I know. Sorry. I just feel so drained and clingy"  
"Once we're clean, I'll let you cling"  
"Mmm. And eat. I want to throw up, but I'm hungry again"  
"You can eat as much as you want... how do we get back to the well from here?"  
"We-we're going to the well?"  
"Where else are we all going to clean up then?"  
"Mikasa's a girl! She can't bath with us!"  
"Eren, we can just get cleaned up back at camp. Go ahead with Sir Levi. Right, Mikasa?"  
Mikasa glared, but Armin took her hand and pulled her away from them  
"You're friends are... a little different, aren't that?"  
"Yeah, but they're your friends too. Or family. They're basically family"  
No. His family was Eren and their baby. The only reason he'd ever help those two out was because it upset Eren if he didn't. Though, Erwin had already decided that his team was being fused with Mike's, so he probably should get used to the shitty brats, not that he'd admit that they weren't quite as bad as the rest of Eren's friends, like that horsefaced shit. It wasn't even officially announced. Erwin had told him to think about it, but the thought of babysitting all those shits was making him reconsider taking Eren and leaving. He didn't have the patience for their teenage hormones and shitty tantrums. He had Eren for all of that, and as much as he loved him, he was a handful as it was, with his friends influence... it left him mentally cringing.

Halfway through cleaning up, Eren had given up. The teen sitting on the edge of the well, watching him while he cleaned himself down. For someone who didn't want to be touched, he did a fine job of touching himself, hissing as one hand needed and rubbed at his chest. His long legs wide open, as the smell of his arousal filled the space around him. If they hadn't been dating and if Eren wasn't pregnant, he would have pushed him down the well for being a tease. Instead, he grit his teeth, ignoring the heat pooling in his gut as he tried not to give into the desire to mount Eren right there. He'd gone years without sex or intimacy, until Eren and his tight little arse came along. He should be able to withstand this...  
"Levi? You alright over there?"  
"I'm fucking fine. Close your legs already"  
"It's not comfortable"  
"Then move. What if someone comes along?"  
"You'd protect me"  
"Then at least think about what you're going to me"  
"You don't like my body?"  
"That's not the problem. The problem is I like it too much"  
"My dirty old man"  
"Brat. Your friends are waiting and you spent the day bleeding. Now your sitting like that. Can you just finish cleaning up? I'm too tired for this shit"  
Eren pouted, but closed his legs   
"This really isn't as comfortable"  
"Then finish washing. You can spread your legs as much as you want when your clean and clothed"  
"Fiiiine. It's your baby's fault. My hips are killing me, and those steps nearly killed me off"  
"Just think of how many stairs are in the castle. You're barely pregnant brat. What are you going to be like when you actually start showing"  
"I am showing. This stomach, it was flat. Do you know how hard I worked to get that"  
"As hard as ever other shitty recruit"  
"Fuck you"  
"Not right now"  
Eren gaped at him. The teen then grabbing his boot and throwing it at him  
"Seriously? Your boot?"  
"Fuck you. I'm tired, sore and uncomfortable. Don't blame me because your dick decides to get hard"  
"I do blame you. Since you came along, we've been fucking like horny teenagers. That's your fault. You drive me fucking crazy, and all I have to do is look at you"  
"Yeah... well. You shouldn't get around looking so... fuckable"  
Levi raised an eyebrow, Eren was already looking everywhere but towards him. The teen looked annoyed at the lack of insult in his insult  
"I look fuckable?"  
"Don't pretend you don't know how hot you are"  
"I'm short, old and cranky"  
"And what do I have? I turn into a wolf, and a Lycan and I leak this slick stuff without being able to control it"  
"I drink blood"  
"That's not as bad... you don't stink like a wet dog"  
"You don't smell like a wet dog"  
"To everyone else I do. Seriously. You're hot and you're an arsehole. That's it"  
"You're a shitty little brat that frustrates the fuck out of me"  
"Little?! I'm taller than you!"  
"Maria! Eren, what do you expect me to say? I love you. I didn't expect to love you. I never wanted anyone and I never felt whatever this is, towards anyone. You know I'm shitty with words, yet you keep pushing my fucking buttons. All I wanted was for you finish cleaning up so we could go back to the tent"  
"Then why are we fighting?"  
"I don't know anymore"  
Eren started laughing, the teen pushing off the side of the well and walking over to him, wrapping Levi into cold hug   
"I know you think you're bad with words and feelings, but you're really not. And I know I don't always get it. But I'm trying ok. Right now, I'm cold and nauseous. My hips feel like they did after the first time I used my manoeuvre gear. So it's not so much I don't want to be clean, as, I can't actually bend down"  
"You should have told me"  
"Then I couldn't have enjoyed the show"  
"I'll show you as much as you like, if you let me finish cleaning you up"  
Eren hummed, kissing his shoulder   
"Just be gentle around my stomach and my arse. I'm still tender"  
"Brat, I'm not going to hurt you and the baby"  
"I know. I just feel... protective. This is our baby..."  
"I know it's ours. I was there"  
"Shut up. I can't help it"  
"Talking isn't going to get you clean. Hold onto my shoulders"  
"Yes, Sir Levi"  
"Don't do that again"  
Eren laughed lightly  
"It's not the first time you've been called "Sir Levi""  
"No. But you're usually the one calling me it, while I'm punishing you for something. Your coconut friend has completely ruined it"  
"You can punish me in his place... Ew. No. Ok. I grossed myself out. Let's just finish up and head back"

With limited supplies, the pair walked back in their towels. Everyone else was asleep, and Levi actually grateful to Hanji for having the foresight to think of leaving supplies so close to the well, though it was probably more an act of laziness. She just didn't want to cart everything around. 

Armin and Mikasa were barely passably clean, Levi making the pair find something for Eren to eat while he and Eren dressed, before settling down so he was sitting while Eren was laying with his back against the man's chest. There was space Eren's side of the tent for the two brats, with the lantern sitting between them. Fiddling with the package, his boyfriend some how managed to contain himself long enough to wait for the two brats to come back with food, before ditching the package in favour of eating. Undoing the thin brown twine tired around the brown wax paper, two journals fell into Eren's lap, though both were small, one was about three times the thickness of the other   
"Is that all?"  
"That was all that was in the package. Eren, can you sit up for me, I can't see them properly with you in my lap"  
Giving an exaggerated groan, Eren climbed from his lap, Levi moving so they were sitting side by side, and so he could see the covers of the journals properly. The thin was simply labeled "Mikasa Ackerman", and the other was "Eren Yeager". Leaving Eren's to him, Levi opened the cover of Mikasa's, making sure his hand covered the girl's name. They'd finally found the truth of the basement, but it wasn't exactly what he'd expected.

Several minutes of near silence passed before Levi grew fed up with what he was reading. Eren had finished eating, and picked up his own journal, skimming it before stopping on one particular page. Passing Mikasa's journal to her, Levi turned his full attention to Eren. His boyfriend was shaking, his scent had turned sour and his eyes were filled with unshed tears. He didn't look upset, instead, he looked more like I was about to rip the book to shreds. Whatever was going on with him, he didn't want the other two overhearing, and he also didn't want Eren lashing out at them, because he knew his omega would regret it later  
"Armin, take Mikasa. Eren needs some space"  
"But what about his journal?"  
"You just worry about yours, Mikasa. If you have any questions, you can come to us tomorrow. For tonight, take it and read it"  
Armin opened his mouth, but Mikasa actually listened to him. Taking Armin by the hand, the girl lead him from the tent. Grisha had said she had vampire blood, but Levi wasn't so sure. The girl had been through puberty, her bloodlust should have kicked in by now, but she was showing non of the typical signs. Nor was he smelling or "feeling" anything from her. She seemed normal in most respects, though she was talented with her manoeuvre gear, and did seem to possess more stamina and fight than the normal soldier. But... if she was vampire, or even part, she should be feeding.

"Eren, what's in there?"  
Eren gave no indication of hearing him, his eyes still glued to the same page he'd been staring at since before he kicked the Armin and Mikasa out. Reaching out, he tugged the book from Eren's hands, his boyfriend still not moving, hands still hovering as if holding the journal   
"Eren?"  
Now he was getting worried. Placing the journal out the way, he took Eren's hand  
"Brat? Hey, talk to me"  
Slumping suddenly, Levi pulled Eren against him  
"What's wrong?"  
"I think I want to go to sleep"  
"What did the journal say?"  
"I want to go to sleep"  
If Eren was trying not to worry him, he was going the wrong way about it  
"What was in the journal?"  
"Is that all you care about? The precious fucking journal? I thought you... I thought you were different"  
"I care about you"  
"If you care about me, let me sleep and never wake up"  
"Eren..."  
"You can't, can you? I'm tired Levi..."  
"Whatever it is, we can talk about it"  
"I wish we'd never found that book"  
"How about we go for a walk? You can think about whatever it is that's upset you"  
"Stop it. Stop being nice to me"  
"Why would I do that?"  
"Because I'm not fucking worth it"  
Eren's defeatest mumbling was getting on his nerves. Whatever was in that journal couldn't be worth all of this. A few words couldn't extinguish the light in his brat... Eren wasn't like that. Sure he got depressed. He moped. He cried. He got angry all over again and he stood back up. That was his brat  
"Tell me what the fuck was in that book!"  
Giving a hollow laugh, Eren pushed himself away, the little shit shifting as he did. Darting out the tent, Eren was gone before Levi even reached the tent flap. Torn between going after the teen and reading the journal, he looked back to the leather bound book. If he wanted to help Eren, he needed to understand why he's acting the way he was... even if it meant invading Eren's privacy.

The journal started as an open letter to Eren, explaining who Grisha really was and that he was the one who carried the wolf gene, like most of Shinganshima, but unlike the residents of Shinganshima, Grisha didn't come from inside the walls. Going on, Grisha described a great sickness that had befallen the population not long after his arrival and how he'd been able to find a cure. None of this seemed all that bad, or not bad enough for his brat to be so depressed. It wasn't until he was nearing the end of the letter that he'd found what must have triggered Eren. Grisha openly admitting that he used Eren. He used his son to experiment on with werewolf tissue. Operating and injecting him with organic matter as he tried to create a werewolf in his own son. If he could find a way to turn off the aggression of the werewolves or even more humane way to kill them, humanity would be able to leave the walls. They'd no longer be trapped a food and fodder, and while he apologised to Eren, he'd been fully prepared for Eren to die in the process. Levi felt revolted. He'd told Eren to hold tight to the belief that maybe his father was helping others, he'd told him it'd be ok, but his reassurances had only served to make things worse. The following pages were a list for Eren, of every supernatural thing Grisha had encountered, vampires only making the list thanks to Mikasa's mother... and rumours of an Underground vampire using the Kenny. For them to be in the same paragraph, the man must have found some kind of evidence they were related, possibly through Mikasa's mother. Leaning into the light, he still had to squint to make out the small notes crammed in the margins, and the tests he'd tried on them... they didn't seem too severe... not in comparison to what he'd done to Eren. The next section was on the world Grisha had left behind, the man once a scientist, working on ridding the world of the werewolves, before he'd even stepped foot on the island. Eren was going to love that. His brat wanted off the island and believed the world had never ended, and here was the evidence it hadn't. The final pages finished with an explanation to Eren that they were all in danger. That the Government had somehow found out about the supernaturals he'd worked with, that he knew they'd caused the illness in Shinganshima in order to wipe out whoever carried supernatural blood, and that if he never got home, he was to remember he loved him and that he was the hope for humanity. Levi saved the word loathing for a select few. Most people he met were simply trash that didn't warrant his time, but Grisha. He wished the man alive purely so he could have the pleasure of killing him. He hadn't even met his baby or even known about them all that long, but already he knew no matter what, he could never do what Grisha had done to his own child. Throwing the journal into the corner of the tent in disgust, Levi stalked from it. He was going to find Eren and then... he didn't care. Eren could take a swing at him, or beat the shit out of him, just as long as his brat was in one piece, he'd take whatever was thrown his way.


	38. Chapter 38

Wherever his brat had gotten to, Levi couldn't find him. He'd checked the well, Hanji's tent, the ruins of the house, the hill where they'd fallen asleep under the stars, as well as walking through the lines of tents, though failed to catch any trace of his boyfriend's scent, like some kind of shitty idiot. Reminding himself that Eren was pregnant and that he wouldn't endanger their baby once he calmed, he returned to their tent to wait for his lover to calm down. It wasn't like he didn't think of kicking Hanji awake to make her help find Eren, he just wanted to show Eren he trusted him enough to go for a walk and cool down on his own. Laying on his bedroll, he pulled Eren's blankets up to his nose, bundling them into a pillow of sorts. When did he become this pathetic?

Falling asleep on the bundle, Levi was rudely awoken by screaming. His eyes were burning from a lack of sleep, but the moment he saw Eren hadn't returned, he was wide awake as his heart started to pound. Rushing from the tent, he noticed others seemed just as confused as him, all looking across the ruined town for the source of the screams. Taking off running, his feet led him to the ruins of Eren's house, while his mind was still trying to figure out why. Scowling at the sight of Moblit, Levi started to slow. The man was standing as if guarding the house, though he was way too pale and shaky for it to be said he was doing a good job. Slowing to a fast stride, he stalked right up to the man   
"Moblit! What's happening?"  
Moblit jumped as if he hadn't even noticed him approaching, his body language was... twitchy and suspicious  
"S-squad Leader Levi..."  
Wringing his hands, Moblit looked back over his shoulder, before jumping at Levi's firm tone  
"Moblit, spit it out"  
"It's Commander Erwin, sir. He was attacked last night, sir"  
No wonder Moblit looked freaked. He'd survived years by Hanji's side, and never would have been able to survive if he didn't have a strong stomach  
"He was attacked?"  
"Yes sir. Hanji found him this morning"  
"Where are Hanji and Erwin?"  
"In the basement, sir"  
If Erwin had open and bleeding wounds, the basement was the last place he should be. And how did anyone manage to get the drop on Erwin? The guy was a fucking giant, and despite the fact he hadn't been as active in combat as he'd once been, he could throw down just as well as the rest of them  
"Right. Stay here and keep watch"  
"That's what Hanji said"  
Of course she had. Erwin had probably told her not to let anyone into the basement until he'd thoroughly examined it... The fluffybrowed bastard would walk through a pack of werewolves if it meant knowing what was down there.

Levi could already smell the blood as he reached the top of the staircase, smudges and smears of fresh blood ran along the rough stone wall, all of which was Erwin's blood. He couldn't smell anyone or anything else, other than the scents of his trip down with the brats the previous night. Stepping off the bottom step, he eyed the puddle and drag marks leading into the basement. That probably wasn't a good sign  
"Who's there?!"  
"Relax. It's just me. What happened?!"  
Hanji rushed to the door, preventing him from entering. There were more places covered with blood than not, but as Erwin had called out, he couldn't have been too bad  
"Levi! Where have you been?! Erwin was attacked"  
"I was sleeping. Now, what's this about Erwin being attacked? Who attacked him?"  
"We..."  
Hanji was cut off by Erwin, the man groaning as something thudded behind Hanji   
"It was Eren"  
Levi rolled his eyes with a sigh, crossing his arms   
"It wasn't Eren"  
"It was a wolf, Levi!"  
"It still wasn't Eren. Eren wouldn't do that"  
Stumbling up behind Hanji, Levi felt the colour drain from his face. His commander was missing most of his right arm, the wound poorly bandaged while the crisp white cotton bandages were growing redder by the second   
"Erwin!"  
Pushing Hanji aside, Erwin slumped heavily against him  
"Who knew having my arm bitten off, would make you care?"  
"What the fuck... Hanji, why didn't you take him back to camp"  
"Because he was attacked by something"  
"It was a wolf"  
"It wasn't Eren"  
"It was a wolf!"  
"And I'm telling you, it wasn't Eren. Come on, this shitty dust and dirt isn't going to be any good for that wound"  
"Where's Eren?"  
Couldn't Erwin forget his dislike of the teen for longer than 30 seconds?  
"Eren wouldn't have done this"  
Hanji nodded quickly, her tone soft yet firm  
"Erwin, you need to remain calm. You've lost a lot of blood, you were unconscious when I found you, so you may be concussed"  
"He was unconscious?"  
"Unconscious and laying on the floor. It looks like he was dragged in, and his arm severed..."  
"Alright. I get the picture, but I'm telling you, he didn't do it"  
Moving to Erwin's other side, Hanji took the rest of the man's weight as they made their way up the staircase. The first order Erwin gave the moment they emerged was that Eren was to be taken into custody. Levi forced himself not to drop Erwin's shitty arse on the spot. It was bad enough Erwin was dripping his shitty tasteless blood all over him, reminding him he had hadn't fed since before the scare with the baby, but having the man who wanted to arrest Eren, dripping all over him... it most certainly was not appreciated. Growling in warning, Erwin's pained face soured  
"Levi, you're letting your feelings get in the way"  
"No. You're acting moronic. Eren didn't do this"  
"My fucking arm is gone. It was torn off. Do you want to see what your boyfriend got up to last night? Do you want to see it!?"  
"Eren didn't fucking do it!"  
"How can you be so sure? Where you with him all night? Maybe you found something in the basement? Something that set his true nature off?"  
"If it upset him, Eren wouldn't attack you"  
"So you did find something"  
"What we found can wait until you stop bleeding. Hanji, where are we taking him?"  
"To the closest supply cart. It's the cleanest and biggest space to work with the huge body of his"  
Great... that was a walk and a half, especially when he couldn't just carry the man by himself. Hanji had them swaying all over the place, causing more bleeding... unfortunately, not enough for Erwin to pass out again  
"Moblit, wake Mike. Have him find Eren and detain him"  
"For fucks sake, Eren didn't do this!"  
"Would you two stop it. Erwin, Levi's right. Why would Eren hurt you?"  
"Because he knew we would find out whatever he's been hiding"  
"Eren hasn't been hiding anything"  
"You're too close to him"  
"We talked about this and you were going to back off"  
"That was before he took my fucking arm!"  
"He didn't do it"  
"Both of you, shut up! We can talk to Eren once he's found, and stop looking at me like that Levi, I don't believe he is responsible for this attack either. I'll be able to tell you both more once we see his wound properly"

 

*  
It was hours before Mike and Gunther came to the supply cart Erwin was currently resting in. Hanji was exhausted, while Erwin's life was hanging by a thread. She'd don't what she could, but seeing Erwin like that had shaken her. Sitting on the cobbled road, Levi had his back against the cartwheel with his head in his hands. He and Erwin had just talked all this shit out, now the man could die and he'd be blaming Eren with his dying breath.

"Levi?"  
"Did you find him?"  
When neither Mike or Gunther answered straight away, Levi looked up at the men  
"Did you find Eren?"  
"No... We may have an issue"  
"We already have an issue. Erwin's lost an arm in an attack sometime this morning. He's blaming Eren, so we need him found"  
Gunther looked to Mike, Mike shifting his weight  
"What is it?"  
"Eren's gone. We searched the city and the top of the walls..."  
"What do you mean Eren's gone?"  
"We found a trail of blood, leading back to the gate towards Trost"  
"Would you just spit it out already? Eren wouldn't just take off, so start talking"  
"I caught Eren's scent, along with Erwin's and that of two others. Knowing Erwin was attacked, explains the scent of his blood mixed into the trail"  
Pushing himself to his feet, Levi grabbed Mike by the collar, angered that he was seemingly accusing Eren as Erwin had  
"What the fuck do you mean there was blood?! And what do you mean Eren's missing"  
"He's gone Levi. He left with two others, heading back towards Trost"  
"Eren wouldn't just leave!"  
Grabbing his right wrist, Gunther shook his head  
"Let me go. Your anger isn't going to help being him back"  
"He wouldn't just leave!"  
"Levi, did something happen? Something that would cause Eren to run?"  
"He wouldn't run!"  
"Then why was his blood mixed in with Erwin's?"  
His blood. With everything that had happened, and denying the need to feed, his mind wasn't as sharp as it usually was. It was now only beginning to sink in  
"Eren was hurt?"  
Gently extracting himself from Levi's hold, Mike straightened his clothes  
"Levi, is there any reason Eren would leave?"  
"No"  
"Nothing happened? Nothing with the basement?"  
"We found his father's journal... his piece of shit father was experimenting on him"  
Mike and Gunther exchanged another looked  
"Eren wouldn't leave"  
"He has"  
"You're wrong"  
"Levi..."  
"He wouldn't fucking leave. He needed to think, but he wouldn't just run off and endanger himself"  
Now that his brain was processing, he felt something akin to terror. His pregnant boyfriend was missing, with two others by the seem of it... It didn't make sense... Eren wouldn't leave... he wouldn't leave him. The kid was fucking scared to be alone. No matter how hard he tried to hide it in front of everyone else, Levi knew. He knew his brat. Clenching his fists hard enough for his nails to cut into his hands, he shook his head  
"He wouldn't run"  
"Are you absolutely sure?"  
"He's fucking pregnant! Of course I'm fucking sure!"  
Mike sighed heavily, while Gunther nodded  
"Ok. We just had to be sure"  
"Had to be sure about what?"  
"That he wouldn't leave by his own freewill" 

"What do you mean he's pregnant!?"  
Roaring from inside the cart, Levi cursed his luck. He'd thought Erwin would still be out of it. Hanji's voice was muffled, probably telling Erwin to calm down  
"Levi! Get in here"  
Gunther ignored Erwin, an almost sympathetic look on his face   
"Levi, what do you want us to do?"  
"Check with Eren's friends, see if they're all present. See if you can identify the owners of those two scents, and make sure you keep Ackerman by your side. When you caught Eren's scent, did you see his tracks? Was he in his wolf or human form?"  
"They were wolf prints"  
This wasn't looking good for his shifter. A wolf attacked Erwin. Erwin was saying it was Eren. Eren was now missing. Eren was missing, while in his wolf form with Erwin's blood on him...  
"Eren was upset, but he'd never hurt any of us or risk our baby. He hates being thought of as a risk, and he's taken beatings before just so they wouldn't think him a monster. If he's gone, it's not by choice. I'll retrieve my gear and the journal. We can not let the Government get their hands on it"  
"Is it that important?"  
"The information in it, is everything the Government wants to hide"  
Mike frowned at his words  
"And Eren will be in danger because of it?"  
"We all will be. But for, finding Eren is our number one priority"

The journal wasn't in their tent. Sometime after he'd left, someone had been through it. Both his and Eren's gear were scattered through the small confines. Triple checking, he found no trace of the book, but he did find traces of his brats blood, or rather, he smelt it. Whoever had taken Eren, had hurt him... and he was going to fucking kill them. Leaving Erwin to Hanji and the situation to Gunther and Mike, Levi slipped his gear on, heading for the gate to Trost. He'd trusted Eren, and now he'd gone and lost him. He should have just taken the journal with him. He should have taken it with him and confront Eren with it, talked things through and made his brat understand he wasn't going through this alone. Mikasa's journal hadn't been like Eren's. It didn't contain truths about beyond the wall, instead it contained notes on her development and observations of her parents. Grisha's letter to Mikasa was on asking her to look after Carla and Eren if everything was to ever happen to him, meaning, the journal was only of use to the girl. If they were going to call the Government out on infecting the citizens with the plague, along with the genocide of the people they were supposed to protect, they needed Eren's journal... and more importantly, they needed his green eyed brat.

Landing lightly by the ruins of the Trost entry gate, Levi couldn't deny what Mike and Gunther had said. Bloodied paw prints lead up to and over the rubble, the prints showing Eren was heavily favouring his right side, while the left prints were smudged with blood. His brat was hurt. Good. Well, not good, but that meant they wouldn't be able to travel as fast thanks to Eren being injured. With his speed and desperation to reach Eren, he should be able to catch them. So, knowing how dangerous it would be, Levi scrambled up the rubble, slipping through the thin space barely big enough for a human.

The further Levi pushed from Shinganshima, the harder it became to track his boyfriend. The thick grass that had been trampled by the expedition, hadn't recovered, the prints mingled with the chopped ground, Levi relying more on his sense of smell, than his eyesight... but that only got him so far. From the wall, the group had crossed to the forest, a large puddle of tacky blood was the last signs of Eren he found. His boyfriend vanished from there. If Eren hadn't shifted back, they might have had to resort to cutting his boyfriend down to a more manageable size. The thought sickened him, his anger getting the better of him as he launched himself up to the nearest branch, squinting, he couldn't find any broken branches or signs of disturbance, that didn't stop him. Throwing himself forward, he yelled for Eren. If Eren could here him, he could call for him. They both had better than normal hearing, and Eren's was miles better than his. Desperate and determined, he didn't stop, getting himself hopelessly directionally misplaced without finding a single clue. People didn't just disappear! Eren didn't just disappear! He was far too loud for that. Stopping to check his gas, Levi heard the cracking of a branch, his heart leaping   
"Eren! Eren, if you can hear me, make a sound!"  
Turning slowly, Levi heard a bang. It took him 5 seconds too long to realise what had happened. A second bang rang out, blood blossoming across his shirt as the second bullet tore through him. When the third bullet hit, it was light out. Pain flaring through the right side of his head, the man already unconscious before he hit the ground.


	39. Chapter 39

Waking up, Levi was disorientated. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton gauze, and the world wouldn't stop spinning. Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried to centre himself, while the feeling that he'd forgotten something slowly set it. Reaching out, he tried to grasp the memory, only for it so slide further through his fingers, before disappearing into the abyss of his mind. Swallowing, he found his throat parched, he couldn't even gather enough saliva to ease the feeling. Fuck. He was thirsty, and not just for water. His whole body felt like he'd been smashed against a tree repeatedly, his limbs feeling foreign and disconnected. Shit. What kind of a mess had he gotten himself into? Forcing his grey eyes open again, he blinked the world into focus, the amount of grot in the corners of his eyes made him cringe. He needed a shower. A shower and to feed... Eren! Looking both left and right, he saw no signs of his lover. Why wasn't Eren here? And why couldn't he remember what had happened?! Coughing out a groan, he tried to push his body up, only to find himself chained down... that couldn't be good.

Summoned by his coughing, a very weary looking Hanji rushed into the room he was currently occupying   
"Levi!"  
Scowling, Levi sank back against the pillows  
"Levi, how do you feel?"  
"Water"  
His voice came out a pained growl, causing him to close his eyes again  
"Right. Of course. Just a second"  
Busying herself, it wasn't long before something was poking at his nose  
"You're probably still too weak to sit up, so use the stray. Small sips"  
Oh... a straw. At least Hanji wasn't poking at him already. Guiding it to his lips, he ignored Hanji's "small sips" in favour of drinking greedily, which ended with his coughing  
"That's why I said small sips. You have no idea how worried I've been"  
"What happened? Where's Eren?"  
"Before that, can you tell me how you feel? Are you pain?"  
"Headache"  
"That's to be expected when you're shot in the head. Honesty, it's a miracle you survived"  
He was shot? When? Why? Why couldn't he remember?  
"Where's Eren?"  
"He... he's in the Capital..."  
Levi's eyes flew open as he struggled to push himself up  
"Whoa! Wait. You need to calm down"  
"Why the fuck is Eren in the capital? And where are we? What happened?"  
"We're in Trost"  
"Trost?! What happened to Shinganshima?"  
"Levi, calm down. We can talk about this once I've examined you"  
"Fuck talking. Start explaining"  
"You were shot three times. Once in the left shoulder, once in abdomen and once in the right side of your head, luckily that bullet didn't penetrate. You've been in a coma for the last 7 weeks"  
"That's not funny"  
"I'm not joking"  
7 weeks?! Had Eren been in Trost the whole time? No. Hanji said he was in the Capital? But why?  
"Eren?"  
"Eren's been arrested for the attempted murder of Erwin"  
"What!?"  
Eren would never hurt Erwin...  
"Levi, a lot has happened. Everyone, including the Government knows about the baby..."  
"We need to get to him..."  
"We can't. We've tried... you need to slow down. You've only just awoken"  
"I need to get to Eren!"  
"Calm down! You can't help him like this!"  
"The baby..."  
"I don't know. We didn't even know he'd been taken into custody until we reached Trost"  
"You didn't know...?"  
"What's the last thing you remember?"  
"Shinganshima... Eren had a bleed"  
"That means you're missing about 12 hours"  
Maria, his head hurt like a shitty motherfucker  
"And seven weeks"  
"Look. I need to examine you"  
"I'm fine"  
"People who are fine, don't spend 7 weeks in a coma. You're lucky Mike and Gunther went after you! You could have bled to death!"  
"I would have healed..."  
"We've already lost so much, you're not throwing your life away"  
"What do you mean?"  
"For now, I'm going to start your exam. I have vials of blood prepared, so once I take some base line responses and vitals, I'll let you feed"  
"Just tell me what the fuck is going on. And tell me we have a plan to get Eren back"  
"It's not that easy"

Poking, prodding and damn blinding him, Hanji was shaking as she examined him, finally leaving him still chained to the bed as she poured her shitty blood down his throat. Having fed so often on Eren's rich blood, hers left him feeling sick, and less than sated. 7 fucking weeks had passed. Even with his slower "than Eren's healing powers", he should have woken before now. Licking the last drops of blood from his lips, he glared up at Hanji   
"Start explaining. Why was I shot?"  
"Our theory is that you were shot for chasing after Eren"  
"Chasing after Eren?"  
"The night before the incident, you led Eren, Mikasa and Armin into the basement of Eren's old house. There, you found two journals. One for Eren and one for Mikasa. The following morning, I found Erwin in the basement. His right arm had been severed, in what was made to look like a wolf attack. Naming Eren as his attacker, everyone was sent to find him. Acting alone, you left Shinganshima for the forest, where you were shot three times. You also yelled about Eren being pregnant, that's how Erwin found out"  
"How does that equate to Eren being arrested?"  
"The Government had agents in the Military Police, waiting for an incident to occur. They discovered Eren alone, and we think they manufactured their own incident. They took Eren into their custody, as well as the journal"  
"And you didn't stop them?"  
"I was trying to keep Erwin alive. He lost his arm"  
"Where is he?"  
"The Government is holding him, as well as Gunther's body"  
Hanji's words ripped through him, he honestly felt like he'd been shot again. His body temperature plummeted, as his chest tightened. He'd been sleeping... while Gunther had died  
"Upon Erwin's orders, we remained another 5 days in Shinganshima. You were crazy from blood lost, it took that long to get you stable. Whatever they shot you with, wasn't a normal bullet... Gunther sacrificed himself so we could escape with you"  
He what? They were coming back to that...  
"The basement?"  
"We took everything, but the Government was waiting for us. They took everything, including Gunther's body upon our arrival"  
"What... the... fuck?"  
"We're all in danger. They think we don't know what's in those documents, but for the most part, they simply talked about the various supernatural patients he'd treated. Do you remember anything at all? Even the slightest detail could help"  
"No"  
"Alright. Try not to force it. I only have a few hours before I'll need to report you're awake"  
"You're the Commander?"  
"Mike has other duties, and we don't have access to Erwin"  
"I'm sorry"  
So not only had he lost Gunther, they'd lost Erwin to the Government, even if it was temporarily... It was too much to hope this was dream. Only reality could be so shit  
"Now you're awake, we can start planning. We first need to gain access to Erwin. He should have more idea of where Eren is being held"  
Patting him on the head like he was a kid, Hanji began walking towards the door, Levi strained against the chains  
"Hanji! You're forgetting the chains"  
"I don't have the key. I'll see what I can do"  
"You can't just drop that shit on me and leave"  
"Welcome to my world"  
What the fuck was that supposed to mean?! 

 

*  
Fed a cocktail of drugs to keep him sedated, Eren's mind was a fog. He could barely remember his own name, as each day had melded into the next. He couldn't remember what they wanted from him. He couldn't remember what he'd told them... He couldn't remember the warmth of the sun or the feel of being in Levi's arms. He could barely even remember his alpha. The alpha who'd promised to protect him. To love him. To keep him and their baby safe... His alpha who'd left him here to die. He just wanted all this to end. They'd let him keep the baby, but he didn't understand why. Every fibre of his being hurt. He'd screamed until he'd coughed up blood. He'd begged for his baby. He'd begged for his life. He'd begged over and over... but no one wanted to listen... no one wanted to help him. Trapped beneath the Earth, he could never escape on his own. Not with a gag in his mouth, a collar around his neck, cuffs around his stumped wrists and stumps of ankles, his hands and feet removed and bound to prevent him fighting... he couldn't fight. He'd fought so hard he'd nearly killed the team that took him. So now, he couldn't even move to use the bathroom, his filthy caked underwear could barely be called underwear, and offered no protection from the cold. He was so cold. So tired... all he wanted was to go home. Go home to Levi and their baby... even if that meant he was no longer alive.

Numb to the world, Eren was dragged from cell again. Strong hands pulled the chain connected to the collar, it always hurt, the metal digging into the front of his neck, running the skin until it was red and bleeding. They seemed hesitant to touch his nape, probably so they didn't kill of their specimen too soon. He wished he could gather himself up, to find a way to fight again, if he could just get the bandages off his limbs, his body could start to heal, start to reform. Which is probably why they were constantly wrapping them tighter each time. Dragged through the hall, past the other cells, his body bounced limply as he tried to twist to his side. His stomach was swollen. He didn't know what that meant anymore, but he wanted to protect it. Even when he woke mid-procedure or vomiting in his cell, that thought always managed to form. The need to protect.

Covering his eyes, Eren was then chained down to the cold metal table. Voices came from all around him, but his mind could only pick up fragments of the sentences. Things like "foetus", "vampire", and "Grisha" were the most common words uttered around him, though it seemed to him like they were all too disgusted by being on his presence, so none of them talked more than necessary. Rough hands pulled the gag from his mouth, he couldn't even find the effort to scream, it wouldn't have mattered if it he could as a thick hose was pushed down his throat, the edges cutting and catching as it was forced down. They'd had him for so long, so what more could they hope to learn? Why couldn't they just let him go? Beneath the thick fabric, useless tears leaked from his eyes, not that he noticed. He was so very broken, too broken to be any good. If they undid the chains and undid the bandages, he probably wouldn't have even noticed.

While the tube was filled with something warm and wet sounding, a needle was inserted into the vein of his left arm, his blood beginning to dribble into the metal bucket against the bed. Around him, the team worked, taking their samples. It was stupid, but he'd always been afraid to die alone. If he died right now, he'd probably thank them for being there, even if they were the ones to cause his death. That was the day they amputated back to his elbows and knees, with no sedatives or pain killers.

Passing out from the pain, the first thing he found when he woke was that he was now completely naked. His body dumped back in the cell as if he was pile of rubbish. They'd probably grown tired of his stink. He'd grown tired of his stench, or rather, he wasn't sure he still had his sense of smell because he'd lost the ability to smell himself. Cautious as he opened his eyes, he blinked in confusion, straining against his chains in an effort to get off the freezing bite of the floor. If he could shift, he'd be warm, but his body wouldn't listen. Not once since he'd woken here had he been able to. He was trapped and forgotten. Levi had probably moved on from him. Had probably found someone better than him. Was probably happy. He'd prayed to whatever was out there so many times that Levi would save him, but now he never wanted to see him again. Not like this. As his eyes slid closed again, he let himself pass back out. 

 

*  
With him awake, Levi and Hanji were summoned before Darius Zackley. He'd only met the man twice, and both times he wasn't sure what to make of the man. Ruling over all four divisions of the Military, Zackley carried himself like he wasn't just another mindless Government goon. The man had sway, but even in his position, there were people who expected him to lick their boots... but the man never seemed to fall that far. Basically, he threw Levi for a loop, and he didn't like it. Dressed in full uniform, the pair of them walked into the courtroom, trying to act like they were prepared for anything thrown their way. They really weren't.

The first thing to throw him off was the presence of Erwin. His Commanding officer looked pained and gaunt. His face having lost much of its fullness, while he stood staring up at Zackley, not even acknowledging their presence as they moved to stand at the same bench as him. The second thing to throw him off was the leaders of the other three Military Branches. Shadis representing the Scouts. Dok, the Military Police and old man Pixis from the Garrison Regiment. Each accompanied by their personal guard... except... Dok was accompanied by the one man he'd thought he'd never see again in his lifetime, Kenny. It was like some kind of perverse joke. Kenny had sent just as many soldiers to their death, as the werewolves had, yet there he was, lounging back in his seat, his feet on the balustrade as he sucked down his cigar. A growl rose in Levi's throat, his hands clenching as his teeth began to throb. If Kenny was here, things were dire...  
"Levi, do you know him?"  
Kenny's grin widened at Hanji's whisper. The man would have been able to hear it crystal clear, despite their distance   
"Keep your mouth shut. He can hear us"  
Standing straighter Hanji's hand brushed his, as if she was about to take it in her own.

Leaning forward in his chair, Zackley pushed his fingertips together as he stared down at them  
"I expect you're wondering why you have been summoned before me"  
If Erwin was here, it had to be Shinganshima related...  
"Yes, sir!"  
Oooh? So Erwin was doing the talking? Hanji seemed to slump a little in relief  
"Out of over 200 men and women, only 47 returned from the recent expedition to reclaim Shinganshima. Not only was there a tragic waste of life, you have nothing to show for it, and Eren Yeager escaped your custody. How can you explain this?"  
"Eren was left in the care of Levi, sir"  
"With whom he entered into a relationship with. Is that correct?"  
"Yes, sir"  
"And you allowed it?"  
"He is a beast, sir. The best way to keep an eye on him was to allow him to believe he was in a relationship with Levi"  
"So you mean, nothing that transpired between him and Captain Levi, meant anything?"  
"No, sir. Eren had the reputation of sleeping around, but since being passed to Levi, he stopped his foolish ways"  
Erwin was fucking lucky their were too many witnesses, or he'd be loosing more than just his other arm  
"The fact remains, you did not declare this relationship between the two of them. You also allowed yourself to be gravely injured, before allowing Eren to escape your custody, where he was then apprehended by the Military Police. Explain yourself"  
"I was attacked. Levi had left Eren unattended due to the attack"  
"You repeatedly claimed to have been attacked by a wolf, which you claimed to be Eren"  
"At the time, I believed it was Eren"  
"And now?"  
"I've been informed that the damage to the bone was not consistent with the jaws of a wolf. Instead, my arm was sawn off, the tissue around damaged to look as if it was bitten"  
He deserved it  
"Who made these observations?"  
"Doctor Hanji Zoe"  
"It is note that Doctor Zoe is close to Eren, could she perhaps have been covering for him?"  
"Initially I believe so, until I looked at the bone"  
"Could she not have sawn the snapped bone flush?"  
"No. The attack on me was a misdirection. It allowed Eren to be taken into custody over an act he did not commit"  
Finally! It only took 8 fucking weeks for Erwin to admit the fucking truth  
"Were wolf prints not found? Prints made from your blood and Eren's?"  
"They may have been made by another wolf"  
Dok let out a harsh barking laugh   
"What other wolf?"  
"We have reason to believe others like Eren exist"  
How did Erwin know that?! It'd only been a couple of days since the memories of what was in Eren's journal had returned, and those were sketchy as fuck  
"Others?"  
"Grisha Yeager came from outside the walls. In Shinganshima, he worked with various supernatural beings"  
Dok laughed again  
"No one comes from outside the walls"  
"Then explain why the gates of Shinganshima were intentionally destroyed from within"

Shit. He'd opened his mouth. Actively avoiding looking to Kenny, he focused on the dust across floor in front of them  
"Captain Levi. Explain what you mean?"  
"Upon inspection, we noticed the chain spindles intentionally damaged, and blast reside radiating outwards from inside Shinganshima. In his notes, Grisha Yeager noted that the Government was responsible for the plague that struck Shinganshima. It's not too far of a leap to assume when the plague failed, the Government took more creative measures"  
"You are on dangerous ground. No only have officers of the Military Police provided contradictory evidence, you have nothing to back up these claims"  
"Because Eren was taken away. He was in possession of his father's journal"  
He wasn't... but they didn't know that, by the seems of it   
"Eren was found escaping from Shinganshima. When approached, acted violently and was taken into custody"  
Dok could fuck right off. So could Kenny. Fuck. Shit  
"Right. Because the Military Police would never lie. Bunch of corrupt arseholes"  
"Captain Levi. That is enough"  
Hanji tugged at his waist cloth, telling him to shut up. He couldn't help it. These were the people responsible for taking his boyfriend away, and now, everyone around him was lying about it. How they didn't choke on the shit they spewed, he had no idea.

"Commander Dok. Was the journal of Grisha Yeager found in the possession of Eren Yeager upon his arrest?"  
"It was not"  
"And you trust your subordinates?"  
"The two are members of Kenny Ackerman's squad"  
They let Kenny have his own fucking squad? What kind of shit was that?  
"Ackerman?"  
"They found no journal"  
Yep. That was definitely Kenny. He had such a way with words... if only he had a way with worms... Levi mentally snorted at himself. Eren would laugh at that one, if his boyfriend knew who Kenny was  
"You do realise it's an offence to lie while under oath"  
"Quit bustin' my balls. They said they didn't find another, other than that knocked up brat"  
Levi swallowed hard. He'd been purposely trying not to think of the baby. Zackley shot Kenny what looked to be a look of annoyance, before leaning further forward   
"You were asked to provide Eren for cross examination today. Yet, he is not present"  
"He tried to escape, injuring those providing his care. Since his arrest, he's continued to suffer violent outbursts. Under Government orders, he is currently receiving psychiatric care. They believe it is a type of madness, caused by his Lycanthropy"  
In other words, they were torturing him. They had him locked up, and were experimenting on him, like he was a shitty dog  
"Then a report regarding his condition should have been presented before time"  
"There was an incident that happened last night while preparing him. Once his restrains were loosened, he attempted to kill the squad sent to transfer him"  
Kenny looked so fucking smug. Zackley was no idiot, but the man didn't call him out  
"Commander Smith, how often did Eren exhibit violent behaviour whilst under your care?"  
"Rarely"  
"That's funny. The reports from members of the Survey Corps say otherwise. Including an incident where he broke Levi's nose, and an incident where he had to be forcibly restrained by the Captain"  
"Both times were simple misunderstandings between them. As we all know, all couples fight, even fake ones"  
Levi never thought himself particularly slow, but he wasn't grasping the reason Erwin insisted on calling his and Eren's relationship fake. He hated it. Each time the man drove the nail in further, he wanted to call him out. What he had with Eren, that was their business  
"Captain Levi, perhaps you can explain?"  
"We already know his judgement has been compromised. We've all heard the rumours of his role in Eren's pregnancy"  
Kenny leant forwards, ashing his cigar as he did  
"Captain Levi?"  
"The first time Eren was restrained was due to him being upset. The boy was merely having a tantrum. The broken nose was by accident. He was reading and I leant in to close. He snapped his head up, and into my nose. Nothing malicious was meant by it"  
Small lies of no consequence, though the first instance, he'd been in the wrong. And why was no one talking properly about Eren's pregnancy?! Was his boyfriend still pregnant? And if Erwin was free? couldn't he step in on Eren's behalf?   
"So Eren never acted in a way to cause others harm?"  
"No. He even went as far to let himself be bashed, and nearly stabbed to death, rather than to shift or fightback"  
Zackley frowned deeply, the ridges between his brows turning until valleys  
"And his work in the field?"  
"He has been a valuable asset. His sense of smell, and enhanced vision have been the key to solving multiple cases. He has placed himself in dangerous situations more than once to protect his team"  
"Yes... well..."  
Dok scoffed, while Kenny let out a soft laugh   
"He couldn't have done that fine of a job, if they're all dead"  
"Eren was not responsible for their deaths. He was close with Olou, Petra, Eld and Gunther. When Olou was hurt, he rushed to get him help. When the scouting mission failed, he shifted, saving the members on the mission"  
"Were not here to praise the boy. His actions are clear. He is a threat who should be eliminated"  
"Eren is not a fucking threat. He wouldn't fight back, unless he had a good fucking reason to. Did you even try talking to him, sanely and rationally? Or did you start cutting him up and torturing him again? Yes he's part wolf, but he's also part human and that human part wishes for nothing more than annihilation of the werewolf race, and the reclamation of the land beyond the walls"  
"That's enough, Captain Levi"  
"It's not enough. The mission to Shinganshima went to shit because most of the soldiers had never seen a werewolf, and shat themselves. We were also dealing with a ghoul in our ranks. A lack of communication and mistrust between the three branches. The soldiers aren't being adequately trained in regards to real life battles, and that lead to the majority of deaths. So before you try blaming Eren for everything, take a good hard look at your own branches!"  
Levi's tone had started off icy cold, yet somehow he'd progressed to yelling. Well fuck... looking at the three commanders, he was angered further as Pixies snorted. A grin on the man's face as he fished out his silver flask. Zackley was none too impressed  
"Captain Levi, you are dismissed"  
It was probably for the best. He just couldn't keep his cool while his lover's reputation was being picked to shreds. Stalking out the courtroom, he tore the cravat from around his neck, as he sucked in a deep breath. Shitty fucking arseholes!

Left to pace, Levi expected to be alone for the remainder of the meeting. He didn't expect Kenny to come waltzing through a side door, like he owned the goddamn court. Eyeing him up and down, the man let out a laugh  
"Well, well, well. The brat grew up"  
"With no help from you. The last time I saw you, I was shovelling dirt over the shitty face of yours"  
"Did I teach you to always make sure they're actually dead?"  
"Next time you won't be so lucky"  
"Next time? Ha. You think you have any power here? You're out of your league"  
"If that's all you've come to say, you can kindly fuck off"  
"Don't you want to know about that wolf of yours. That tight arse of his... I can see why it got that little pecker of yours up"  
Levi snarled, while Kenny laughed in his face  
"Those green eyes of his. So filled with hope... at least they used to be. He was so easy to break"  
"What the fuck did you do to him?"  
"Me? As if I'd stoop low enough to lay my hands on a mutt like him. I was shocked when he declared you were fucking him"  
"Where the fuck is he?"  
"As if I'd tell you that"  
Charging Kenny, the man laid him out with a single kick to the chest, before pulling his guns and aiming straight at his face  
"Still the same brat"  
"What's in it for you old man? I never thought you'd become a dog. Does your master feed you that well?"  
"Not everyone survives on dog blood"  
Laughing, Kenny slung his guns back in his halter, already bored of him  
"Let's just see where your confidence is when your master kicks you to the curb"  
Walking back through the door he'd appeared from, Levi was left on the floor. His heart was racing, he wanted to scream. Kenny was supposed to be fucking dead, and now he had access to Eren. The man wouldn't just be hanging around following orders. There had to be something more in it for him... more than Dok was providing.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can tell when I'm gaming... my update schedule goes to shit

Hanji and Erwin both stayed quiet on the ride back to their lodgings from the courthouse. The pair of them both kept stealing glances at him, while keeping their shitty mouths shut. If Erwin was returning with them, that had to mean he was finally returned to active duty... even with one arm.

Trailing behind the pair, Hanji kept silently fussing over Erwin. Erwin huffing every time she touched him. By the time they reached Hanji's room, Erwin looked ready to kill her. Sinking down on the edge of the bed, Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath. Here it came  
"Eren won't be returning to us"  
That wasn't what he was expecting. His stomach dropped as he swayed, unable to stop himself, Levi fell heavily to his knees, his head hanging limply as his eyes filled with tears. He'd thought... he thought Erwin would....  
"Maybe if you'd kept your mouth shut, things would have gone better"  
"Erwin!"  
Looking up to the man, Levi's gut clenched. How dare he fucking blame him!  
"Me! If you'd told the fucking truth, it never would have gone this far! Shinganshima was destroyed by the Government in an attempt to eradicate the supernatural population. There's no way Zackley couldn't have had some idea"  
"I was trying to..."  
"Trying to what? Sentence Eren to fucking death!"  
"Levi..."  
"No. I am fucking done! He's been gone for 8 weeks! We don't know what they've done to him! We don't even know if he is still pregnant!"  
"Your jobs on the line here, and all you care about is him?"  
"Of course he's all I care about! He was experimented on by his own father. His town was destroyed by the Government, intentionally. They wanted him, and now they have him, and his father's journal"  
"They have the journal?"  
"Who else would have it. It detailed the supernaturals Grisha had dealt with. With their names. They're probably being hunted down, provided they survived"

Hanji grabbed the chair from in front of the small desk, dragging it over so she could sit between the pair of them  
"Maybe we should all settle down and take a breath. Now that you're back, we can plan our next move"  
"Our next move were those documents"  
"They're gone"  
"Actually... Armin and I have been trying to recreate what we remember"  
"You and the coconut?"  
Hanji hadn't told him that...  
"He's a smart kid. He's memory is actually kind of amazing. It's a shame he never saw Eren's journal"  
"Eren wouldn't want him reading it. Even he didn't read it properly. He got to the bit where his father admitted to experimenting on, and broke down"  
"But you read it"  
"I did. I can't say I remember it in great detail. I still can't remember joining you and Erwin in the basement. That whole day is foggy"  
"Well... we have Erwin back. That's a start"  
"How is that going to help us find Eren?"  
"Levi, you need to forget about Eren for now. At least until the heat cools down"  
"I'm not going to forget him. He's probably being tortured as we speak"  
"You can't help him if you lose your job"  
"Zackley called for my resignation?"  
"Dok did. Seconded by the man accompanying him. You two seemed to know each other"  
"Kenny is dangerous. If he's involved, people are going to die"  
"How do you know him?"  
"He's a reminder of past better forgotten"  
"Levi. How are we supposed to find Eren, when you won't cooperate"  
"Both of you. No more talk about Eren. If they even suspect you're going to go after him, you'll lose your jobs and be taken into custody. Zackley is playing a dangerous game by leaving Levi in our hands as it is"  
As"Erwin, you really need to be more positive. As long as we have Levi, we can't lose. Even to this "Kenny""  
"Kenny is of pure blood. His strength is nothing to joke about"  
Hanji's smile fell  
"He is?"  
"He should be considered more dangerous than I am"  
"Oh... in that case, what do we do now?"  
"We return to the castle"  
"I'm not leaving Eren behind"  
"He's not even here!"  
"I don't care. I will go to Capital and burn it to the ground, if I have to. I will get him back"  
"You'd be making an enemy of every single soldier in the four divisions"  
"I don't care. Eren's innocent and he's pregnant, or have you forgotten"  
"Even if he is still carrying the child, it will likely be sickly. Suffering from mental and physical ailments all it's life. If he's been tortured, there's no way to know what methods have been used on him. Shifting nearly brought on miscarriage. So imagine what open surgery and continued drug about would do to the developing foetus. It's better for everyone's sake that he loses it"  
Levi saw red. It felt like his heart had stopped as his flew at Erwin in a rage. His fist collided solidly with the man's jaw, as Hanji came up behind him, trying to pull him off   
"You'd fucking love that! You'd love seeing Eren lose our baby! You never liked him! You never got to know him! He was just an expendable tool for you to get answers! You probably believe he deserves all of this! Well news flash! According to Grisha Yeager, almost every single person inside the walls has supernatural blood of some sort! Even if they don't have the abilities that got with it!"  
"And what is that supposed to mean? That under the right conditions, they could become werewolves?"  
"Exactly! He talked about it in his journal"  
Punching Erwin again, Hanji finally managed to heave him off the injured man, Levi fighting against her hold  
"Levi! Calm down!"  
"No! This is my boyfriend's life we're talking about! If you aren't prepared to help, than I fucking quit"  
Hanji gasped  
"You can't quit!"  
"Watch me"  
"Levi, you're being..."  
"I'm being what?"  
"Irrational"  
"Coming from you. How nice of you to suddenly walk back into our lives like you haven't been detained. Do you know how much stress and pressure Shitty Glasses was under because you got your arse imprisoned?!"  
"There was nothing I could do to prevent that"  
"Right? And you couldn't have found a way to talk to her, before standing in front of Zackley and bullshitting?! No. I refuse to be part of an organisation that is willing to leave Eren to be tortured. I'm done. I'll get him back myself"  
"You can't just leave. You're humanities strongest"  
"You have Mike and you have Mikasa. You'll find a way to carry on"

Hanji finally released him, the woman's eyes filled with tears  
"I miss Eren too, but he wouldn't want this. You're humanity's hope"  
"I never cared for that title and we both know it"  
"Levi..."  
"I appreciate all you did for him Hanji. You were there when I wasn't, and I know he truly valued you... but I won't let him continue to suffer"  
"Then let us all help you!"  
"You can't! None of you could stand up to Kenny. If you come with me, you're all going to be in danger and I have enough blood on my hands"  
Erwin grunted, glaring as he sat up   
"And what will you do when you find him?"  
"Take him away from all of this. Find somewhere where it's just the two of us"  
"You'll both be hunted"  
"Then we'll go beyond the walls! He never asked to be like this, nor did he ask for how he's been treated. I've waited my whole life for him. I will not give up on him"  
Wiping at his bleeding lip, Erwin sat beside his feet  
"We can't help once you leave"  
"I don't want your help. You'll only slow me down"  
"I should come with you"  
"Hanji..."  
"If he's hurt, or there's something wrong, I can help"  
"You'll be in the way. If he's out of his mind, I'm the only one who can deal with him"  
"And what if he kills you"  
"At least he'd be free"  
"Do as you please"  
"Erwin, you can't just let him go"  
"If he cares so little about us, than why would he stay"  
"It's not like that. Don't you dare put words in my mouth"  
"You're the one choosing Eren over the rest of Humanity"  
"Things are changing. Hanji and Armin collapsed the alcoves to block the broken gates. Without the stream of wolves coming in, you'll be able to work at complete elimination within the walls"  
"Who knows if that will hold"  
"Look. I'm leaving. Seeing Kenny today has only made it even more clear that I need to go"  
"Levi, please. Please let us help you"  
He was used to Hanji's begging, but this made him pause. He knew she cared, but Kenny was on a whole other level. He couldn't just risk it, especially when all he had was that "Eren is in the Capital"  
"Stay safe Hanji. Erwin"

*  
Having helped himself to supplies before leaving, Levi left to find his wayward boyfriend. All he had was a basic map, but with the stink of aristocracy confined within the middle of Wall Sina, he was sure Eren we be instead held in one of other four outer cities. With Hermina being the closest, that was his first port of call, next he'd check Stohess, with Yalkell and Nedlay on the back burner for now. Out of everywhere, Stohess made the most sense. The Underground sprawled beneath Stohess, pushing so far towards the Capital that Levi wouldn't be surprised if there were connecting tunnels. In his mind, they had to be keeping Eren underground. Somewhere he couldn't transform, or be seen or heard by the general population, but also somewhere they could dispose of Eren's body if something would go wrong. The Underground was perfect for that. Even if by some chance someone knew Eren's name, they wouldn't know what he actually looked like, so the body would be left unclaimed once looters had made sure nothing of value was on him. Still, because Kenny was involved, Levi couldn't disregard the possibility of the man thinking like that, which made the search infinitely more complicated with the addition of the three other cities.

Riding into Hermina, he was granted the usual amount of respect he received from the shitty soldiers guarding the gate. News of his leaving wouldn't have reached their ears yet, but that wouldn't last for long. While he had the opportunity, he intended to make the most of the uniform he wore. Lacking in experience when it came to the area, he walked his horse through the streets slowly, making a mental map of the lay of the land and possible locations that Eren could be being kept. His destination was the Military headquarters for the city, but it wasn't like they were expecting him, so he was free to take his time.

Hermina was... annoying. Two days of the bullshit was more than enough. Shitty elites that weren't quite high enough to reside within the walls of Capital were even worse than those who did. All of them looking down at him in disgust, as if his existence was a personal insult. Even the soldiers liked to think their shit didn't stink. None of them were willing to actually help him out, not when it came to feeding or grooming his horse. Not that he wanted their shitty hands touching his horse, but as a superior officer, he was supposed to be respected. They were supposed to offer. Instead, they all stalked around with their thumbs up their collective arses, pushing their duties aside in favour of personal advancement. Not that that would happen. The elites looked down on them, and the divide between the two classes would never be breached. Hermina had been a mistake. He should have just rode for Stohess.


	41. Chapter 41

It was only a days ride to Stohess, not even that really, but by the time he arrived, Levi was already exhausted. Eren never left his thoughts, and his mind was more than happy to provide detailed mental images of what could be happening to his lover. It wasn't appreciated. His mind never stopped, even in the few hours of sleep he managed at night, his dreams were of his brat. Hence, his mental and physical exhaustion.

With most of Stohess under the thumb of the Military Police, he knew he stood out far too much to conduct an effective investigation. That had to changed. Taking a room at a the worst inn he could find, he stripped his gear and shed his uniform, donning black clothes that would provide some camouflage in the darkness of the Underground. With a gun in each boot, and his manoeuvre gear on his hips, it was far too obvious that he had ties to the Military, yet he needed his gear if he was going to thoroughly explore the depths of the Underground... and if Eren was hurt, he'd need his gear to get them both out in one piece.

Waiting until the dead of night, Levi creeped from inn. It wasn't exactly hard to find ins to the underground, but with his gear on he had no choice but to use the "front door", which was essentially just a set of steps that disappeared into the bowels of the Earth. It wasn't even covered or hidden, the Underground was an open "secret" after all. In his mind, he'd planned to head straight down, then hook around and backtrack towards the Capital through one of the various tunnels. Most would probably end in a dead end, but it wasn't like the Underground came with a convenient visitors guide.

Levi had barely made it down the steps before he was cringing. His name being screamed by the last person he'd expected to see down there. Hanji. Trapped between the steps and the woman, he had no easy escape, he could fire his gear, but that didn't mean Hanji would take the hint, no, she'd probably just follow like everything was alright. Gritting his teeth, he marched over and grabbed her by the collar, downright hissing in her face  
"Will you shut up!"  
"I missed you"  
"You're not even supposed to be here"  
"I couldn't just leave Eren to suffer"  
"You could have and you should have. I'm here to find him, you're just dead weight"  
"We're not dead weight"  
"We're? As in we are? Oh no... Hanji, what did you do?!"  
"None of us were prepared to leave Eren suffer"  
"Explain yourself, right now"  
"Well... it was Armin. He figured out that the tunnels probably connected back to the Capital, and that Eren wouldn't be kept above ground..."  
Levi released her, casting a glance around him  
"Don't tell me you brought the brats"  
"They all volunteered"  
"You're putting them in danger!"  
"No. You're underestimating them. They all care for Eren"  
"You want them to take on a full blooded vampire, and his Squad?"  
"Even if..."  
"Even if what? Don't tell me you never heard the rumours of Kenny the Ripper? It doesn't matter to him that they're all a bunch of brats. He's slaughtered younger, and he didn't think twice when he did. Take them home Hanji, before you end up with their blood on your hands"  
"We're not leaving until Eren is safe"  
"Dammit, Hanji! It's not fucking safe!"  
"That's all the more reason you need help! We don't want to lose either of you!"  
"Where are they right now?"  
"Who... oh, they're surveying the tunnels"  
"This is no place for them to be left alone. The rules don't apply here"  
"Then we better get moving"

 

Stupid shitty Hanji and her brat squad. He couldn't believed how naive the woman seemed to be. She knew what he was like, and he wasn't even a pure blood vampire, yet she seemed to think they actually stood a chance against Kenny. It was impossible. The people Eren considered his friends were all going to die, and their blood would be on Hanji's hands. That's why he'd separated from them the first chance he got, sending them off to search tunnels he knew were dead ends, while he followed the underground river, scolding himself for never realising that it did in fact flow outwards from the Capitol. It made sense. Humans couldn't survive without access to fresh water, even if by the time it reached the Underground it ran green with pollution.

Stilling his steps, Levi held his breath as he placed his hand on the wet tunnel wall. The man slowly counting to 60 in his head. He swore he'd heard something... but he couldn't feel any vibrations, instead there was too much nothingness. Trapped in such a narrow space, he had nowhere to hide. Pulling his pistols, he turned his back towards the direction he was headed, walking backwards as he glared into the darkness... and right into the wall. Jumping as he scared himself. Fuck. If Hanji was here, she'd never let him hear the end of it. Embarrassed, he turned to look at the offending obstacle. With his back to it, he hadn't realised the wall was bricked up around a small metal grate. If he wanted to continue, he was going to have to break through the thick bars, which meant climbing into the water... revolting. If this wasn't for Eren, he'd have none of it.

 

*  
Something has changed. Something was different, but in his drugged state, Eren couldn't really comprehend what it was, only that the world around him felt different. He felt different. Chained so he was forced to kneel on the stumps of his legs, he didn't understand why they'd move him... unless they were finally done with him, and he had been moved so he'd expire somewhere they didn't have to deal with him...

Slumped forward in his chains, the drugs were slowly passing from his system, leaving his body in an agonising state of withdrawal. Everything itched. His skin felt raw, the need to scratch was driving him crazy. Even trying to rub against his chains gave no relief, nor the stone beneath him. If this was new form of torture, they were succeeding.

Having been left in the darkness, Eren was blinded when the blindfold was removed. The light might have been from a dim lamp, but it felt like his eyes were burning. As a strong hand held his face, he was slapped each time he tried to close them. The feel of the hands against his skin left him nauseous and shaking, though that might have just been from the withdrawal   
"Keep your eyes open. You'll want to see this"  
That was a new voice... and if it wasn't, it wasn't a voice he remembered. Something about it left him with a bad feeling, despite the fact he didn't think he could actually feel worse  
"I don't know what he sees in you, but we'll take care of that soon"  
Eren wanted to ask what he meant, but all his teeth had been pulled, the wooden bit in his mouth rubbing at the ulcers and infected sores in his gums. His healing powers seemed to have hit their limit, not that he minded. He was so exhausted that he each time he didn't die, he broke a little more  
"Nothing to say? What a bore. I thought you'd be the life of the party"  
Whoever that was, he wasn't making any sense...   
"Now, keep your eyes open. The party's just getting started... and I'm going to kill them all"

 

*  
Fucking shitty sludgy water was disgusting. His boots and pants were soaked. His gear wet, and his gunpowder useless. Levi had gone too far to turn back, and unless he wanted to attempt to swim, it was impossible to do so. He hadn't considered the fact that there may be no way out. No. He was going to rescue Eren... who would be waiting at the end of this shit, if he knew what was good for him.

Reaching a fork in the tunnels wasn't expected either. Each side was as unremarkable as the other, neither screaming to him that Eren was that way. He took the right path, purely because there seemed to be less a algae. Fucking nature. He'd had enough of it. Following the right path, he only made it a few feet before the ground beneath seemed to give out, sending him sliding down a steep tunnel of slime, his hands left bleeding as he scrambled to find some kind of purchase... only to fail, leaving him falling roughly a metre into a pool of stink. Coughing as he surfaced, he wrinkled his nose. A fucking natural aqueduct. Going right was not the right idea. Thoroughly disgusted, Levi swam to the shore, feeling like a drowned rat with the amount of filth and water clinging to his slight form. Now what the fuck was he supposed to do? 

First thing was first. Getting his bearings while his gear dried. The aquifer was sloped, the roof completely closed off from the outside world. That left the walls... there had to some way out of this... someone had to have gotten trapped in the same predicament as him. He couldn't let this stop him. Not for Eren's sake. He couldn't just live the rest of his days down here, and he refused to die while covered in such filth.

Checking the walls, he'd nearly given up hope when he finally found a stone door. Being flush with the wall of the aquifer, it blended in, and from years of abandoned, he had to kick the stupid thing repeatedly until the grime between the stones finally loosened enough for it scrape open. Finally. Finally a win. Running back, he grabbed his gear, abandoning his pistols, Levi nodded to himself. He might have no idea where he was, but with all the effort he'd put in, he had to be closer to Eren!

Beyond the door was spiralling staircase, leading up towards the surface. With no other options, he took the stairs two at a time. His heart beginning to race at the thought of Eren being so close. In his mind, he envisioned a small door atop the staircase, and inside Eren would be waiting... only, life decided yet again to fuck with him. There was a door, but opening it lead to a wide T-junction passageway. His hands were still throbbing from making the "right" decision, so turned left, allowing himself to jog down the hall.

It seemed to take hours to find the next door. Angered, Levi burst through the stupid thing. The door barely open before gunshots rang out. Throwing himself back into the hall, he flattened his back against the wall  
"Levi! I know you're out there!"  
The prize at the end of this was supposed to be Eren, not fucking Kenny   
"What the fuck are you doing here?!"  
"Waiting for you. Nothing is more repulsive then when two people are love"  
"I don't suppose you'll let this go?"  
"Where's the fun in that! The excitement! The Chaos! The Blood!"  
He has his manoeuvre gear. He had his blades... but that wouldn't help when Kenny was armed with a gun... buuuut Eren could be waiting in there. Pulling his blades, he flicked the right one out, so the tip was in the doorway. In a heart beat, there was another shot. So Kenny was watching the doorway, instead of focusing on whatever was else was happening in the room. Ducking low, he ran forward, his blades pointed back as if extensions of his arms  
"Where is he?!"  
"Not here"  
Snarling, Levi looked around the room as he dove for cover behind an alcove. Eren wasn't here. He couldn't smell him... but Kenny knew where he was  
"It's safe to say you'll never see him alive again"  
"I swear to Maria, I will kill you"  
"I'm done talking"  
Charging each other, their blades collided with sparks. The heels of Levi's boots scraping as he pushed backwards. This whole thing was a fucking joke to Kenny. Leaping back, they lunged at each other again  
"You don't stand a chance"  
Driving him back again, Kenny laughed while Levi snarled.

The deadly dance between the pair has only just begun when gunshots echoed through the small space, Kenny's smile growing as Levi continued to be driven back. The man was seriously trying to kill him. He had his hands full with that alone. unfazed by arrival of his Squad, Kenny continued to forward, striking out with precise blows. Levi needed to find some advantage, he had his gear, but not enough space to make use of it. If he could get to another room, a bigger room, he could use his mobility and flexibility. But other than the door he'd come through, he couldn't see the exit... which meant it had to be behind him... momentarily distracted by his thoughts, he was sent flying backwards as Kenny kicked out, winding him in the process  
"Give up and die already"  
"I'm not dying to the likes of you"  
Scrambling up, Levi span and ran. A bullet clipping his left hip, but there was no time to slow down, not now he saw the way out. Rushing to the door, he fumbled it open, throwing himself into what seemed to be another natural cavern. With its large stalagmites, he finally had something he could anchor too, the only issue being the fact more of Kenny's Squad was waiting. With less than a fraction to think, he charged at the closest soldier, laughing to himself when the gun shots slowed. Above all, shitty humans valued themselves. Shooting a team mate was as good as putting a target on ones own back. Firing his left anchor, his foot landed firmly on the stalagmite, its surface crunching slightly as he brought his blade down, cleaving through the woman's chest. One down. Grabbing her rifle, around him, people yelled out, giving their positions away. Kenny was still coming, but each member could be used a shield, and that's what he did. Weaving through the space, dodging as Kenny shot without a care in the world.

"You can't run forever!"  
"Watch me!"  
Moving from stalagmite to stalagmite was starting to prove hard, the wound on his hip was now burning so intensely, if felt like it was engulfing him entirely. Ducking into a small space between a stalagmite and the wall, he ran is fingers over the wound, frowning at the black stuff that coated his fingertips  
"Do you feel it?! The blood of a ghoul! By now, it should feel like you're suffocating"  
It didn't... yes, it hurt to breathe, but he was still on his feet. Poking his head out, he jerked back as the wall beside him exploded with a small puff, from the bullet hitting the stone. Fuck. Twisting, he fired his gear in the only direction available. Towards the main forces of Kenny's Squad. They'd realised there was safety in numbers, each now anchored from the ceiling with their guns trailing his every move. Shooting blindly, he dropped the rifle as it jammed, instead bringing his blades back out, and swinging both arms out wide as he crashed into one of the group, spending them both flying back to the ground, the soldiers spine snapping as they landed  
"That's it, Levi! Show me more!"  
In the blink of an eye, Kenny was there again. Levi barely able to dodge the man's blades as he fired his anchors. This whole underground complex seemed to keep going, but now he was moving too far away from the light provided by the lanterns. Intercepting him, Kenny caught him with a hand around his throat as if it was nothing. Fuck. Shit! He didn't come all the way for this! Kicking out, his foot collided with the man's crotch, Kenny letting out a roar as he slammed Levi headfirst into the floor. Behind them came the sound of fresh gunfire, causing Kenny to pause. It was enough. Though his whole body was shaking, Levi twisted beneath the man's hold, his neck nearly snapping as he arched up, wrapping his legs around Kenny's neck. Reeling back in shock, Kenny pulled Levi up with him, Levi then shooting his anchors as far off into the distance as he could. That feeling of suffocation was starting to kick in, he needed to end this as fast as possible   
"Levi!"  
So Shitty Glasses had found this place... fuck. He couldn't let Kenny go after her, but the second he'd heard her voice, Kenny had stopped pursuing him. Forced to turn back, it was almost as if the hunter had become the hunted. 

With his gear, it was only seconds before he was back in the middle of the battle. Sasha seemed to be wielding a bow, while Jean was shooting at everything that moved. Somewhere below him came a growl, before a series of 6 shots rang out. Anchoring himself to the ceiling, Levi stopped to look down. Kenny had his back towards the wall, while Hanji and Mikasa advanced towards him. Neither woman strong enough to damage him, and he wasn't allowing either of them to die. Firing off the wall, he span midair, his blades sweeping wide as he landed between the two women and Kenny, copping a bullet to his upper thigh  
"Levi!"  
"Stay back!"  
"He hurt Eren! I'm going to kill him"  
"Kenny is mine!"  
"I feel so damn popular. It's a shame I'm going to have cut our time short"  
"You're not going anywhere"  
Lunging again, Levi brought his blade down against Kenny's twin pistols, the metal holding against the savage blow. This time, when Kenny kicked out, Levi threw himself sideways, rolling forward before stabbing his blade onto Kenny's left leg. Grunting, Kenny swung his guns down, aiming for Levi as Levi abandoned his blade to man's leg. Grabbing out two fresh ones, he cut upwards, hitting Kenny's hand an slicing neatly through the two fingers hand had resting on the trigger  
"Levi! Stop. He knows where Eren is!"  
"He wouldn't tell"  
Kenny laughed   
"Ooooh! Is this the bit where I'm supposed to beg for me life? You'll never find him in time"  
Growling, Mikasa's leapt forward, her blade sliding easily through Kenny's chest  
"Tell me where he is!"  
Coughing, bloody spittle flew from Kenny's mouth   
"Fuck you"  
Ripping her blade out, Mikasa raised it high, only for Kenny to shoot at her hands, causing her to throw herself clear   
"Levi!"  
Ignoring Hanji, Levi smiled. Or, rather, grimaced the best smile he could. Holding his blade steady, he watched as Kenny raised his fingers to lips and whistled. The signalling sound was soon cut short, Levi decapitating Kenny in one swift move. He'd like to see the man coming back from that one  
"What did you do?! We needed him..."

Hanji sentence was cut off by an explosion that shook the whole area. The first explosion triggered a second, which triggered the third. It was the third that dropped the floor out from beneath them, sending Hanji's Squad of brats, Levi and what was left of Kenny's squad plunging down... into another aquifer, this one holding more water than the one he'd been in. Smacking his head as he fell, he nearly drowned before recovering enough to pull himself up onto the closest bit of debris. Hanji was already yelling in the background, and Levi was sorely tempted to pass out... that's when he smelt it. Extremely faintly but undeniable fresh. Eren's scent.

 

*  
Which his gear busted, Levi was forced to limp. His limping more like a hobbled run as he left everyone else behind. Struggling, but elated at the prospect of having finally found Eren, he fought against the pain. He knew Eren was here somewhere. He could smell it! He could feel it! Continuing on, he finally neared the far side of the aquifer, growling when he realised he had to figure out how to get the rubble away from yet another door. He was over doors... and over the affects of the ghoul blood in his system! How did Kenny even know about its effects? He doubted the man would willingly submit to being a test experiment... which meant that someone else had to have told him  
"Levi!"  
"Back here!"

He couldn't get the shitty block of rubble to move. His breathing nearly wheezing as he was forced to drop down, sitting on the block of rubble he'd been trying to move. He needed to check his wounds. Despite how filthy he was, he pushed himself to stick his fingers inside the bullet wounds, feeling for any remaining metal. He was stilling digging when Hanji waded over to him, immediately ripping his hands away from his task  
"What are you doing?!"  
"The bullets were poisoned "  
"You can't just poke at them!"  
"Then help me move the rubble. We need too get the door open"  
"What door. I can barely see a thing"  
The lanterns must have smashed in the fall  
"Where are the others?"  
"I sent them up to secure the exit. We need to move"  
"I'm not leaving without Eren"  
"Kenny said he wasn't here"  
"Kenny is a lying arsehole! There's something behind this door!"  
"We can't stay, the water's rising"  
"Then go! I'm not going until I see Eren!"  
"Are you sure he's here?"  
"I smell him"  
Hanji was probably about to point out the fact Kenny was the one with Eren's scent on him, but hummed instead. Sliding off the rubble, the pair of them moved to push it clear from the door.

When the lock wouldn't move, Hanji used her blades to hack at it, water pouring through into the space they we occupying. Levi unsuccessfully tried to ignore what that could mean, meaning, the moment the door finally gave, he was pushing Hanji out the way and wading it.

It was worse than what they both imagined. The space was mostly flooded to hip height, but that was enough to stop Levi's heart. On the other side of the room, beneath the glow of two hanging lanterns, was a familiar mop of brown hair that he could never forget  
"Eren!"  
Screaming his boyfriends nape, he waded across the space, Hanji narrowly beating him there. Growling as she dared to touch him, Levi took his boyfriend's face in his hands as Hanji under the gag  
"Eren!"  
Shaking him, Eren's eyes were wide and dull  
"We don't have time! Help me get him out these chains. He's going to drown if we don't hurry!"  
He couldn't... he couldn't fucking think or move. He finally had Eren back in his hold...  
"Levi! Move! You need to help me, help him"  
Grabbing him the shoulder, Hanji slapped him across the face. Levi snapped out of his thoughts with a snarl  
"Levi. We need to get him out, or he's going to drown!"  
"Right..."

Getting the collar undone was simple, the latch simply bolted in place. The cuffs were another story. With the metal tight around the stumps of Eren's arms and legs, it dug deeply into dirty bandages. Working the cuffs back and forth, the couldn't get them over swollen stump ends, while the water was now at Eren's bottom lip  
"We need the keys!"  
He didn't need Hanji screaming, something he'd only just figured, at him  
"Kenny! Find Kenny, he has to have the keys"  
"His body's under the rubble!"  
Shit! He wasn't letting Eren drown. Not now that he was back in his arms... fuck. Shit. Fuck! What the fuck was he supposed to do?!  
"Eren, you're going to be ok. We're going to get you out"  
Fuck. They only had one option  
"Hanji, we've got to cut him out"  
"We can't! Those bandages are more than likely the only thing ho..."  
"Between him bleeding out and him drowning... we need to believe in him! Give me a blade, we just need to cut off enough to slide the cuffs free"  
Hanji scrunched up her nose, but pulled a blade out. Levi hated it. Taking the blade, Levi took a deep breath and ducked under the water, mentally apologising as he sliced through Eren's bandaged flesh. 

Getting the cuffs off his legs, the bandages remained wrapped tightly, so tightly that it didn't matter he'd cut off nearly a third of each of the thick coverings. Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend, he took Eren's weight into his arms, the teen's pregnant stomach was still swollen... some how he was still carrying their child... Thank Sina... he had both of them. Cutting Eren's left arm free, his shifter didn't even seem to notice. Most probably in shock  
"Levi, we need to move!"  
"I know..."  
He'd already reached his limit. The ghoul blood had sapped him of strength, and only sheer determination was keeping him going.

Wrapped in Hanji's soaked cloak, they fought their way back through to the rubble filled cavern, above them, small lights danced in the darkness   
"You'll have to take him up"  
"What...?"  
"My gear is broken"  
"You're only telling me this now?"  
"Eren was more important. I can wait..."  
"Levi..."  
"Go! Get him up there"  
"The water..."  
"I swear to Maria, if you let him die, I will kill you!"  
"I... give him here"  
He hated letting Eren back out of his hold, but had to force himself to trust Hanji. Lifting him into her hold, she nodded before firing her anchors, disappearing from his hold. Stumbling, his knees gave out from under him. He'd tried to save Eren, but if he'd been alone, it would have been impossible... his actions had nearly cost his boyfriend his life.

Hanji sent Mikasa down to retrieve him. The girl clearly past being simply pissed off, probably because Hanji knew better than to let anyone other than him close to Eren. Landing, his knees still couldn't hold him, Levi dropping to the ground, while in front of him, Hanji was working on Eren. Desperately, Levi crawled forward, until Mikasa took pity on him and pulled him up to stand, leading him over to where Eren was... before dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Blood was barely dribbling from his boyfriend, and the stink of the wounds was nauseating   
"Hanji?"  
"Sasha, Connie and Jean have gone to scout ahead. He's... he's not doing well"  
"Move"  
It had to be bad for Hanji to actually move out his way. Lifting the omega, Levi cradled him to his chest, rubbing Eren's arm as he rocked him. He couldn't imagine how bad things had been for the Government to decide drowning was the best way to handle things  
"Come on... I know you're in there. I know I'm late, but I'm here now. I've got you brat"  
"Levi, you're bleeding..."  
"It doesn't matter"  
"We need to get you cleaned up..."  
"It doesn't matter! We need to get Eren out of here. He's in shock... and he's still pregnant"  
"Levi. You know what Erwin said. It might..."  
"Don't..."  
"Captain Levi, sir... how can I help?"  
Armin was brave. Kneeling on the other side of Eren, Armin's blue eyes shimmered with tears  
"We need to get him warm. How dry is your cloak?"  
"Drier than Squad Leader Hanji's"  
"Hanji, take yours back. Armin, we'll use yours... and you move in front of us. He's too far out of it right now, but if he shifts, you all need to run"  
He didn't think Eren would or could shift... the bandages saw to that, but he had no idea how long it had been since Eren felt any kind of freedom from his chains  
"Alright..."  
"Eren wouldn't hurt us"  
"Mikasa, Eren's been gone for two months and he's been tortured. He might not have hurt us before, but right now, he's surviving ok instinct. He'd never forgive himself if he did hurt us"  
At least the blonde got it  
"You maybe, but I'm not human"  
"Have you fed?"  
Mikasa huffed  
"Then you're still human. Don't think being part vampire is all that great"  
Hanji helped Armin swap the cloaks over, Eren's abused body was too much for the teen  
"Guys, can we just move. The last thing we need is the floor collapsing under us. Levi, I'll take Eren. Mikasa, you help Levi"  
"Alright... just..."  
He didn't want to miss his opportunity, not when anything could happen. Leaning in, Levi pressed a small kiss to Eren's lips  
"I love you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt longer... sorry I suck at action scenes... I tried! *sobs*


	42. Chapter 42

All of them had been surprised to find themselves outside the walls, their bearings completely thrown by the unfamiliar terrain. Setting up camp in the forest, the brats were nervous over Eren's condition, so Sasha had lead them off on an hunting expedition, leaving Levi with just Hanji and Eren for company. Something he would have normally appreciated, because usually Hanji would get bored leave the pair of them alone. This time he wasn't quite so lucky. He'd passed out, sleeping through a whole day before coming too again. A whole day in which Eren made no improvements. He hated it. He hated how pale his boyfriend was, and the smell coming from him left him feeling like he was dying along side him. Still wrapped in the same disgusting dressings, Hanji refused to remove them until they finally made it back to somewhere more civilised. She was scared Eren would go into septic shock, once the blood supply had returned to his limbs. And that seemed to be the least of his worries. His mouth was badly infected, his hair riddled with lice and his body covered in welts and insect bites. He felt completely useless, with the only measure of comfort he'd been able to supple being holding Eren, as he whimpered in his sleep.

When Sasha and the others returned, the girl has actually managed to do good. She'd found an abandoned farm house, large enough to accomodate them until Eren's condition had stabilised, and his own had improved. He'd been forced to feed from Hanji as his body wasn't healing, and though Eren would understand, it still felt like he was cheating on his boyfriend. They'd even found a cart at the farm, and Jean finally had a chance to put his horse like physique to use, as he and the others pulled the cart with Eren unconscious form on it back to the farm.

 

*  
While the Brat Squad made their lodgings in the farm house, Levi had claimed the storage shed for himself and Eren. No one needed to watch what he and Hanji had been forced to do, and none of them would understand either. Hanji had theorised that Eren wasn't recovering due to whatever was in his system, which meant getting it out. He felt like shit as he used his fangs to suck small amounts of Eren's blood though his swollen scent glands, spitting the mess into a ceramic bowl so Hanji could take samples of it. They'd also had to cut open some of Eren's larger bites and sores, as well as opening the wounds on his gums to leak the puss. It was horrific and it stank. The stink so bad, that Levi swore Eren's blood tasted the same. The richness of his brats blood was lost to a foreign chemical taste. Aside from opening Eren's wounds, there was also the tedious task of delousing Eren's long filth filled hair. With the use of oil, and an old comb Armin had found, it'd taken hours to free the eggs, before smothering Eren's hair completely in oil to drown any surviving lice. 

It took 3 more days before Hanji finally agreed it was time to undo the bandages on Eren's arms. His boyfriend had mercifully been unconscious since they'd brought him up from underground. It was for the best, but each day got harder. He missed Eren's bright eyes, and smile. He missed holding him, waking up with him and his shitty happiness. He even missed his hoarding, and with how filthy their lodgings were, he could have used the help. Not really... but Eren would be able to get through to the rest of the brats, and Hanji, how shit they were at cleaning, and that their attempts only made everything worse. He just wanted his brat healthy and whole. 

They worked on freeing Eren's left arm first, Levi dry heaving at the sight of rotten and infected flesh. Boils and oozing sores laid beneath the first bandage, revoltingly. Even looking at the bandages had been preferable to the messy jagged cut they'd inflicted when lopping the limb off. He hoped Eren had been unconscious for it... No. He prayed with everything he had that he had been. With the skin having been bound, the smell of the bacteria clung to the bandages in a way that felt like the whole space was being infected by the yellowed strips of fabric. He'd only been able to bathe Eren once, and that was the first night in the farmhouse. He hadn't even been able to sink into the warm water or hold his lover, as Hanji insisted on not letting the bandages get wet... which made no sense given they were still damp from Eren's near drowning. Despite how cool and calm he always tried to appear to be, he couldn't help Hanji cut Eren open. He couldn't even watch her drain the stump. Instead, he moved to cradle Eren against him again, his forehead against the teen as one hand supported Eren's head, and his other rubbed slow circles across Eren's stomach. Their baby was moving. Very slowly, but he could feel the small kicks... Levi couldn't help but wonder if Eren had felt their baby move. If he'd talked to their child. If he'd told them all about him, in order to pass the time... Fuck. What he wouldn't give to hear his voice. To take him away from all of this. He should. They should just leave, their presence would only bring more heat to the Brat Squad, which really needed to return back to the Survey Corps. Whoever kept Kenny on a chain, would know his squad was wiped out. They were all on borrowed time. As Eren whimpered, Levi pressed his lips to his, kissing him softly and repeatedly as he nuzzled his nose against the teens. With a long growl, Eren's body arched against him, before dropping down limply. Hanji let out a heavy sigh. He knew how exhausted she was, but he wanted to pretend the world was made of just the pair of them  
"He's starting to heal"  
"Then do the rest"  
"Levi, it's not a good idea"  
"Do it"  
"He could die"  
"He could die like this. Please Hanji. It took days for his mouth to heal, but if it's only taking seconds for his limbs to, then that's what slowing his healing. Please. I need him to wake back up"  
"Levi..."  
"I drained his glands! It was the only thing I could do and it barely made a difference! Please just make him wake up!"  
"Levi..."  
He sounded so fucking pathetic and broken  
"Please, Hanji. I just got him back. I miss him..."  
His tears dripped onto Eren's face, rolling down across the boy's chapped lips  
"He could shift"  
"He could tear me apart but that wouldn't matter, as long as he was whole again"  
"It would matter to me and to him"  
"I need him"  
"He's still healing, but this is a good sign"  
"I'll hold him, so please... Hanji, our baby is moving and he's missing it all..."  
"It's moving?"  
"I can feel it. It's soft, but it's still there"  
"It must be because of your blood and his. Any normal person would have miscarried long ago... but neither of you are normal. A blood infection while pregnant... as well as all the drugs in his system. He honestly shouldn't be pregnant. I wonder if he really is, or if they've done something to him..."  
Levi cut Hanji off with a snarl. How dare she imply that there was something wrong. Even if there was, he'd love and protect it  
"If you've got time to come up with shit ideas, you've got time to help him"  
"I don't believe that's the best course of action right now"  
"Then get out!"  
"Levi"  
"No. If you don't help him, he won't heal and all of this will be for nothing! I will never forgive you if he dies"  
His words were cruel, designed to cut deep. He couldn't find the effort to care  
"Don't you dare snap at me like that! I've worked my arse off to do everything I could to help! I know you're fucking scared, we all are. We don't know how much longer it will be safe to stay here. For all we know, we could be attacked tonight"  
"Then..."  
"I know you want him to wake up. I want that too, but if we flood his system with too many toxins, he'll go into multiple organ failure"  
Daring to place her hand on his shoulder, Hanji squeezed firmly   
"We can't rush this. Once his arms fully reformed, I'll check his vitals again, then if things have improved, we'll move onto his right arm. Try and get some sleep. I'm going to check on the kids. If anything happens, come get me"  
Levi nodded. He was exhausted, but too scared to fall asleep. He was scared Eren would die while he slept, or would be stolen away from him again. 

Hanji left, Levi forced to swallow down the fact Eren was still confined to those awful bandages. He wanted them off. His fingers itched to pull them free. Such disgusting things had no right to be on his beautiful brat.

 

*  
Levi hadn't meant to actually fall asleep, but when he woke, he found Eren's left arm had regrown. Though still unconscious, his boyfriend was squeezing Levi's own had firmly. A sliver of hope ran through his body. It was the best reaction of Eren's healing powers so far... and his boyfriend was actually holding his hand! He couldn't stop himself from smiling over the action. The expression remaining even after Hanji had returned. With Eren having made such progress over night, she opted to clean up his left leg next, due to the wound having a larger surface area. His leg healed in a few hours, so by the end of the night, all three bandages were off. His boyfriend finally freed. Now, he just needed to him to wake up.

When the following morning came, Eren's limbs had full regrown, his boyfriends body whole again... even if he was still sleeping. Waking early enough for everyone to still be sleeping, Levi carried Eren out the shed and into the farm house, making his way to the bathroom. Now that Eren was whole, he could bath with the teen, and by some miracle there was hot water left in the system. It might have been for Eren's good, but it was also for his own self indulgence as he spent the next few hours cleaning Eren thoroughly. Even shaving the small amount of stubble free from Eren's face. He wanted to trim his boyfriend's hair, but the length kind of suited him, especially since Eren had grown again. His body still carried the signs of youth, but Levi guessed the teen to be a good three inches taller than him now. It truely was amazing how fast things could change in a such a short time. For him, it might have been three weeks, rather than the 10 weeks it'd been overall, but each day without him had felt like a year. The pair stayed in the bathroom until Levi heard the unmistakable sounds of people waking up, right before Armin walked in on them in the bath. Spluttering loudly as he tried to apologise, Levi hushed the teen, before sending him to find them clothes. All he things in Stohess had probably been stolen, or collected as evidence. Whatever it was, he highly doubted Mike or Erwin would have collected them... Erwin was probably furious at all of them.

By the time Armin returned Levi had dried both himself and Eren. The clothes the boy had found were more Eren's size, but the kid was smart enough not to mention it. Carrying Eren from the bathroom, he found himself staring the Brat Squad, sans Hanji who's snores could still be heard. Stepping forwards, Mikasa stared at Eren's limp form, Armin walking to her side  
"How is?"  
"Still unconscious. His healing powers have finally come back, so things can only get better from now on"  
"Shouldn't he be awake?"  
"His body has been through a massive trauma. What he needs is rest"  
Jean mumbled something under his breath, before sinking back down onto the lounge chair  
"What was that?"  
Jean jumped, before rising to his feet again, his hands clenched into fists  
"How much longer are we going to be here?"  
"That's up to Hanji"  
"But we've already been gone for weeks! They've probably put a bounty out on us..."  
"Jean, we agreed that we were all in this together"  
"And what good is that doing us? We're out of blades. Out of gas. Nearly out of food. We can't risk staying here any longer, all while Eren sleeps"  
"Jean..."  
"Do you know what they did to him?"  
Jean pouted   
"They tortured him"  
"They cut off his arms and legs. They pulled every single one of his teeth out. The wounds on the stumps were black with rot. He was riddled with lice and covered in insect bites. He's still pregnant, but there could be complications with that..."  
"Captain, sir. I don't think Eren would want you talking about all that... why don't you lay him down in the master bedroom?"  
"Because if he shifts, he'll bring the whole place down. His body might be whole, but his mind is another issue"  
Glaring, Jean sat back down. Sasha and Connie sinking to sit beside him. Armin took Mikasa's hand  
"Can we sit with him?"  
No. They certainly couldn't sit with his brat. That was way too close and their shitty germs would get all over him... not to mention their scents and the fact they'd be paying way too much attention to his shifter... but seeing them like this, it had become clear that he and Eren needed to leave sooner rather than later   
"Just for a little while... we don't know when he'll wake and how he'll act"  
Armin nodded to Mikasa  
"Why don't you go ahead? I'll make us something to eat and join you"

Mikasa looked as thrilled about spending time with him, as he was about spending time with her. The frown on her lips fierce as she followed Levi out to the storage shed. The girl probably found the shed completely inappropriate accomodation for Eren, and while Levi agreed, having four close walls helped to ease just a little of the pressure on his shoulders. With such a small space, their scents were concentrated. Eren's with sickness, and Levi's with warning. With how thick it was, he'd hoped Mikasa's scent was drowned out, but once she got close to Eren, his boyfriend started to whine in his sleep  
"Is he alright? He looks like he's in pain"  
"He probably is in pain. He did have to regrow his teeth and limbs. What does he smell like to you?"  
"Like... Eren..."  
"You don't need to lie. You're the same as I am. I read your journal"  
"He really does just smell like Eren"  
"Mikasa... have you drank blood yet? You should be craving it by now"  
"I'm not like you"  
"No, but you should be. Eren should smell like blood and sickness to you, because that's what he smells like to me"  
"Well, he doesn't. I can't believe you knocked him up!"  
"Don't start with that. It wasn't intentional"  
"Oh. So you just wanted to fuck him because he smelt good?"  
"That's not it either"  
Levi sighed, running a hand through his hair  
"Look. I'm trying to have an actual conversation with you about being a vampire. I had no one to tell me this shit, and he cares about you"  
"If he cared about me, he would have told me himself that he was pregnant"  
"He only just found out before he went missing. He had enough on his plate with everything that happened with Hannes and being assaulted. I promised him he wouldn't be hurt again, yet they took him and they tortured him"  
"Is the baby even yours?"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I'm asking if it's yours or if they did something more to him"  
"It's mine"  
"How can you be so sure. He was gone for months, and his stomach isn't even all that big"  
Eren's stomach was kind of prominent, or prominent enough that he'd had tie the pants he was wearing under Eren's baby bump as they didn't go up all the way, but he wasn't overly large   
"You haven't started drinking blood yet, but I can taste it"  
"You can taste the baby?"  
"No. I can taste Eren and myself"  
"You fed on him, when he's like this?! What kind of a monster are you?"  
"For your information, I was draining his scent glands. Whenever he gets hurt or poisoned by the shitty drugs the Government forces down his throat, it seems to gather in his glands. Hanji can't do it with a needle or a knife because they flare up, leaving him in even more pain"  
Mikasa let out a small "oh", before reaching out to rest her hand on Eren's leg. In his hold Eren let out a pained growl, as if she'd actually hurt the teen, while his fingers seemed to spasm and lock  
"Eren..."  
"Take your hand off him"  
"But..."  
His possessiveness reared its ugly head, Levi growling as he ripped her hand away. Eren instantly relaxing again  
"I didn't... I didn't mean to..."  
Pushing herself up, Mikasa took off out the door. Levi didn't know what to say. Eren had seemed ok with Hanji... but then again, Hanji was human. So only he and Hanji could touch the teen... it was kind of nice to know that even unconscious Eren trusted him enough to know he'd never hurt him.

"Captain Levi, sir. I just saw Mikasa running from here"  
He'd forgotten Armin had gotten them breakfast  
"She accidentally upset Eren"  
"He's awake?"  
"No, he freaked out when she touched him"  
Armin let out a deflated sigh  
"Oh..."  
"You should check on her"  
"I... is there anything I can get you? Or anything I can do to help, Eren?"  
"No. He just needs to hurry up and wake up"  
"It's not the same without him..."  
"He's still alive"  
"But... sir, have you ever heard of the ocean?"  
"I think Eren mentioned it before"  
Armin sat the breakfast tray down next to him  
"It's a huge body water of that covers most of the world. It's filled with more salt than the merchants could ever sell... we promised we'd go see it together"  
"You still can"  
"It's not safe for Eren to be in the walls... they tried to wipe out Shinganshima and they left Eren to drown"  
So Armin understood  
"It's not safe for any of you to be with us. Hanji won't listen though"  
"We all wanted to help Eren"  
"And you all did. You helped rescue him... but now, it's not safe"  
"If you go, where will you take him?"  
"Somewhere no one will find him. Not until things change. If they ever do"  
"If you do... can you tell him we still want to see the ocean with him? You don't have to..."  
"Eren wanted to sea the ocean. It might not be for a while, but someday, I'd like to help him keep his word"  
"Thank you, sir. I should go check on Mikasa"  
Levi nodded, leaning down to tuck a stray lock of Eren's hair back behind his ear. Leaving them, Levi rearranged Eren in his arm, sitting him up so his forehead rested against his neck, while his side ran up Levi's chest  
"Here that brat. Everyone's waiting for you to wake up. You can't go to the ocean if you're still sleeping. I'll take you and our baby wherever you want to go... just show me those green eyes of yours soon..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need Levi and quality bump snuggles... just gotta get there first


	43. Chapter 43

Levi jerked to consciousness, not understand why at first. His hold on Eren tightened as he tried to protect his omega from the unknown danger. Gradually he realised Jean was yelling at someone, the horse-faced teen's voice sounding like the braying of a jackass. Looking down, he realised it wasn't Jean's voice that had woken him, it was Eren. The teen's green eyes were wide open, his breathing coming in short pants as distressed whines came from his throat. Fuck. Shit. He practically had Eren pinned against him... no wonder his shifter was so scared. He had to force himself to loosen his hold, and to bring his own breathing back under control. This was not how he wanted Eren to wake. Gently, he tried to cup Eren's face, but the teen snapped back in his hold, wriggling as he tried to push him away. Didn't his brat recognise him?  
"Eren. Eren, it's ok. It's Levi"  
Unfortunately, his brat was too far gone. With a snarl, Eren shifted, baring his teeth as his paws pinned Levi to the shed wall. Snapping at his face, Levi didn't see any of his brat inside his green eyes. There was just a seemingly unending darkness that had him swallowing hard. Snapping at his shoulder, Levi grunted in pain. Eren's teeth deep enough to draw blood, but not deep enough to tear the flesh... that had to mean his brat was in there somewhere   
"Eren? Don't you remember me? It's Levi. Your alpha. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was nearly too late. I'm sorry I left you alone for so long... please, Eren. You know I can't hurt you"  
Eren's claws cut through his shirt as his paws slipped down, shaking his head, Levi was pushed to his side, his teeth finally sliding out of the man's shoulders  
"Eren..."  
Growling, Eren took a step back. With a shaking hand, Levi reached out, his fingers brushing against Eren's bloody muzzle. Snapping at them, Levi drew back, holding his empty hand up in an attempt to show Eren he wasn't armed  
"I'm not going to hurt you"  
Snarling, Eren turned, shooting towards the door, smashing straight into it  
"Eren!"  
He didn't stop. The wolf now free from the storage shed, driven by the base instinct of fear. Levi didn't even think twice as he pushed himself up, taking after the teen's vanishing form.

Recklessly Levi plunged into the woods close to the farm. Perhaps because all his senses had been so focused on Eren, he picked the teens scent up easily, even with the barrage of foreign forest smells. If he had his gear, this would have been so much easier. If it wasn't for the small traces of Eren's blood in his system, he never would have been able to close the distance between them. Not with his leg still aching from his hip wound. He'd imaged Eren waking up a hundred one different ways, trying to work out what he could do depending on each scenario. Shifting and running had been Levi's initial thought. The idea of being free, and the need to be escape fuelled Eren's mind, or at least in Levi's mind it did. Chasing after his boyfriend, he finally found Eren. The teen laying on his side panting, whimpers and whines spilling from his lips. He'd probably exhausted whatever energy he had. Slowing to a jog, Levi jogged up to him, before sinking down to kneel beside Eren's throat. Placing a hand on the wolf's head, he rubbed at the soft fur. A gesture he knew Eren had loved   
"You're ok. No ones going to take you away... you're ok"  
Sad eyes stared at him, Levi feeling like his heart was breaking. Eren wanted to continue to run, but didn't understand why he couldn't   
"You're still recovering. You've been through a lot and it took a lot to get you here. I know you want to run, but you need to heal. I missed you so much..."  
Tearing up, Levi buried his face into Eren's fur, wrapping his right under Eren's throat as he hugged him tight   
"I'm so sorry!"  
Eren rumbled out a growl, but Levi didn't let go  
"You can be mad. You can hate me. But I'm not letting you go"  
Throwing his head back, Eren howled and howled, as if screaming out his pain. 

When Eren fell silent, Levi pulled the wolf into his arms. His leg threatening to give out as he lifted his boyfriend   
"I love you brat. You and our baby"  
Eren whined, his head on Levi's shoulder. Rubbing his cheek against Eren's fur, he nodded to Eren   
"Yeah. This old man is still in love with you. You wouldn't believe how pathetic I've been without you. I even managed to lose my job. But none of that matters now that you're awake"  
As Levi carried Eren back to the farmhouse, he was grateful Eren had shifted to his wolf form, rather than his Lycan form. His brat did have the habit of reverting to his wolf form when things got to hard... but he'd honestly would have preferred Eren hadn't shifted at all. Being in his wolf form didn't seem to hurt the baby, but that was before Eren was tortured... but if Eren wasn't shifting back or bleeding, or in pain, then it had to be ok... he'd have to ask Hanji about it, though she probably only knew about as much as he did. Approaching the house, Eren let out a growl, scratching as he tried to climb higher in Levi's arms. Frowning at the reaction, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary  
"Eren, it's just Hanji and your friends in there. They all helped rescue you"  
Eren wasn't buying it, growling louder  
"Look you don't have to talk to them, but you do need to eat something. We have no idea how long it's been since you have, and we barely got you to take any water while unconscious. Then you need to rest"  
Huffing, Eren turned his face from him. Fuck. He'd missed his brat  
"If you're a good boy, I'll give you a bath later"  
All he got was another huff.

 

*  
With Eren awake, he wouldn't allow anyone close to him. He'd growled and snapped at Jean and Sasha, tried to attack Mikasa and Armin, ignored Connie completely and had jumped through the master bedroom window when Hanji had snuck into their room. His love probably wouldn't have been so bad, but Shitty Eyebrows had tracked them down, using Mike's stupidly sharp nose. Erwin wasn't impressed by the mess they'd made during Eren's rescue, nor did he want the pair of them too far from his side, which was why they were forced to move into the master bedroom. Eren hadn't exactly been calm since waking, and everything had him jumping, but his boyfriend seemed truly scared of Erwin. His ears flat, his tail tucked between his legs as he hid under the master bedroom bed. It only got worse when Erwin started yelling. Eren was so scared that he'd wet himself, before being too scared to get into the bathtub. Showers seemed to be fine, but baths weren't happening. Though if Levi had been chained and left to drown to death, he'd probably feel the same way. Sina, the only reason he could swim was from all the times his uncle had thrown him into the river, or the times he'd need to make a quick escape.

Even though it'd been three days since Erwin and Mike's unwelcome arrival, and even after Erwin finally calming down enough to stop lecturing them all over the mess Eren's rescue had caused, Eren was still scared of Erwin. All this stress couldn't be good for their baby, but it seemed like every time Levi finally got Eren settled down on the bed, Erwin would find a reason to talk to him. The man was driving him insane. It took hours to calm Eren back down, and the shit coming out of Erwin's mouth wasn't even overly important to him, not as much as his baby and his boyfriend were. Erwin mostly just wanted to go over what had happened... over... and over again. Once should have been enough. It wasn't like his story changed. It wasn't like he was sorry Kenny was dead, and it wasn't like he particularly enjoyed reliving Eren's near death. He just wanted to take care of Eren. He wanted to curl into his wolf, hold him tight and enjoy the feel of their baby moving beneath his hand. Yet, what he wanted most of all was for Eren to feel safe enough to shift back... and that wasn't going to happen with Erwin and Mike around, even if Mike was keeping his distance.

It wasn't exactly Levi's style to sneak out in the middle of the night... well, it might have been, but this time was for a good reason. He was taking Eren and leaving. He had no idea where they'd go, but Erwin had brought horses and a supply cart with him, so it wasn't like they all needed horses. He just needed one, and that was why Levi had convinced Eren to sneak out the broken bedroom window in the middle of the night, his boyfriend didn't look too happy about it all. Creeping through the house shadows, he was so close to the goal when Erwin stepped out the shadows, revealing the lantern that had been hidden by his cloak. Jumping in front of him, Eren growled, lowering himself as if preparing to leap onto the man if he so much as moved   
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this"  
"So was I. We have to leave. You know we do"  
"I know Eren's in a dangerous mental state and you're asking me to let him go"  
"He's not getting any better being here. Not when he's fucking scared of everyone and everything around him"  
"And you think running is the best answer"  
"They tortured him and tried to kill him. So, yes. I think putting as much distance between us and all branches of the Military is the only option right now"  
"You could come back. We could take this up with Zackley"  
"What's Zackley going to do? They were prepared to leave Eren to drown, and to wipe out anyone who went after him. The old man will end up dead before anything comes out"  
"Then we'll go to the newspapers"  
"And put both them and their families in danger"  
"People are already in danger. Eren wasn't the only one taken"  
He hadn't discussed this with Eren, and not only because they couldn't actually have a conversation. 

Growling, Eren lowered himself further, Erwin letting out a deep sigh  
"You didn't tell him. You didn't tell him about the other people experimented on. About the injections of Eren's blood they received or the fact they were left to die like he was"  
"That is none of our business. We can't fight the Government, and honestly, Eren means more to me than the rest of humanity"  
"And what about Eren wants? Eren, do you want to spend your life on the run? Never feeling safe? Risking Levi's life"  
"Don't you dare play that card with me. Eren needs to be protected and I'm the only one who's fit for the task. Besides, he's pregnant with our child"  
"Is he?"  
"Don't you think I'd be able to tell if the child wasn't mine"  
"I think you want to believe it, no matter what"  
"I can taste my own taste in his blood. That's because of the life he carries inside. That child is ours. For all the Government knows, Eren drowned in that aquifer"  
"Then how do you explain Kenny's team being eliminated"  
"Kenny would have kill them all if he'd had the chance and he would have done it with a smile on his face. None of this our problem now. I don't work for you anymore"  
"You know this must be foolish"  
"I do. But there are dozens of these abandoned farms. All we need is somewhere where Eren can actually heal in peace"  
"You could do that here"  
"No, we couldn't. You scare the crap out of him. Everyone scares the crap out of him. He needs to be somewhere where it's just us. Somewhere he doesn't have to worry about what other people are doing and thinking. Somewhere where he can safely spend the last few months of his pregnancy and somewhere he can give birth in peace. We can't do any of that here"   
Walking up to Eren's side, Levi placed his hand on Eren's head  
"He's hurting and he needs to sort his own thoughts and emotions out. He's never going to get better under a barrage of constant questions"  
Erwin stood straighter   
"Then let's make a deal"  
"Your deals only ever benefit yourself"  
"I want you and Eren to return to the Survey Corps"  
"Not happening"  
"Once he has healed and the baby has been delivered. In the mean time, you will stay here. Where we know where you are. Just myself and Hanji. While you are here, we'll work on our plan and figure out what our next move is. In three months, I'll send Hanji to assist in the birth, and you will return with her"  
"Why? So they can try to hurt Eren and our baby? Not happening"  
"Because by then, we would have figured out a way to expose everything. The plague. The destruction of Shinganshima. That the world outside the walls still exists. The truth about supernaturals"  
"You don't even have a regiment anymore"  
"No. But we will recruit. Taking back Shinganshima was a win for humanity"  
"That's if the rubble still holds. We don't know what kind of technology or weaponry they have beyond the walls"  
"If you run, you turn every human inside the walls into your enemy. They will execute both of you as heretics, and they will do it without a second thought"  
Eren nosed at his hand. He knew his brat would be telling him "to leave him and go", if he were human   
"If we stay here, do you swear to leave us in peace?"  
"You have my word. We'll also leave you with gas and blades for protection. After that, you'll be on your own"  
If it got Erwin to leave, he didn't have much choice   
"And a horse"  
"A horse..."  
"If Eren gets sick or there are complications, I need to be able to get him to help"  
Erwin gave a single nod  
"And a horse"  
"And you'll leave first thing tomorrow morning?"  
"If you promise not to run"  
This wasn't his choice to make. Not alone at least. Squatting down, he gave Eren a soft smile as he took his head in his hands  
"I will not leave you. Even if you want me to. Wherever you go, that's my home. Do you want to stay here or run?"  
Eren blinked slowly at him, before nuzzling into his shoulder   
"We're staying. I suggest you avoid going near him. Something about you triggers something in him. He's shaking right now, though you probably can't see it"  
"I have no idea why..."  
"I didn't ask if you knew, I told you stay away from him"  
Placing his paws on Levi's shoulders, Levi snorted as he lifted Eren. The huge wolf looked completely pathetic in his hold  
"Is that safe?"  
"I can manage"  
"I wish you'd reconsider staying. I came here to bring you both back"  
"I know. But the time is hardly right. Just, whatever you decide to do, protect those brats and protect Hanji"  
"Is that a request from you, or from Eren?"  
"From both of us. Eren means a lot to them and they mean a lot to him. Surprisingly, they're more useful than they let on"  
"I'll take that into consideration"  
"Make sure you do. Eren, I'm going to take you back our room. Ok?"  
Eren licked at his neck, meaning yes. Walking past Erwin, he couldn't help but feel like he'd never be free from the invisible collar around his neck.

When the morning came, Levi was sleeping against Eren's chest. His face against the wolf's throat with a heavy paw across his stomach. He didn't dare move, despite the fact he could hear the others preparing to leave. His boyfriend had finally relaxed enough to get some sleep, and he wasn't going to disturb it just to say goodbye. Nuzzling into Eren's fur, he continued to listen to the others for the next hour or so. Hanji, Mike and Erwin all paused outside the door to say goodbye, while the brats complained about not being able to say goodbye to Eren. He knew the omega would probably be angry he didn't wake him, but Eren's head was enough of a mess as it was. Levi would simply lie and say he slept through it all, for Eren's sake. He loved him too much to risk him freaking out and possibly hurting someone. Besides, Armin would probably leave a letter or a note for when Eren was up to it.

Once everyone was gone, Levi let himself drift back to sleep. Between the warmth of his love and his soft rumbling snores, it was hard not to. Sleeping the morning away, Eren woke around what felt like lunch time. The wolf stretching out the full length of the bed and dislodging Levi's hold on him. Yawning, Levi looked up to see Eren staring down at him  
"Hey. How are you feeling?"  
Thumping his tail, his brat whined, rolling onto his back to expose his stomach  
"Is the baby moving? Do you mind?"  
Wriggling down, Levi placed his head against Eren's stomach, feeling the small kicks. He couldn't help the wide smile that the feeling brought   
"You're amazing. They're really moving in there"  
Huffing, Eren rolled back on his side   
"Are you hungry? The others have already left, so you can come into the kitchen with me"

Eren was hesitant to climb off the bed, his form low as he slunk from the master bedroom and into the main living area. Darting into the kitchen, Eren sat beside the table. His eyes wide as Levi poured himself a glass of water  
"Are you thirsty? I think there's a bowl here"  
Reaching up to check the cupboards above the kitchen bench, he found the bowl he'd been thinking of, only some tall arsehole had placed it at the back. Hooking the rim with his fingers, he pulled it forward, barely registering that some idiot had placed a rather large carving knife in front of it. He didn't have enough time too catch it, instead he barely got his foot out the way as it fell to the floor with a solid thud. Behind there was a crash, turning to look at what Eren had done, he found his boyfriend hiding under the kitchen table, his teeth bared as he tried to back away  
"Eren. It's ok. Somebody put it out the way, and I knocked it down. I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm going to pick it up to wash it. If it's too much, you can sit in the living area until breakfast is ready"  
Eren growled again, bolting the moment Levi's fingers curled around the handle. He'd thought they could enjoy breakfast together, but that now seemed like a stupid dream. He'd let one good morning go straight to his head, and now Eren was scared all over again.

Thankfully someone had left some bread. Sasha mustn't have seen it or he'd be stuck making breakfast from scratch. Slicing the remaining loaf thinly, Levi also sliced up an apple from the fruit and vegetable basket. The supplies they'd been left with were pretty basic, almost like Erwin wanted him to chase after him over it. He wasn't going to. He and Eren had survived alone before, and while this would be for a longer time, if he really needed to, he could probably steal a few supplies from Trost, unless the man had been generous enough to leave them money, though he highly doubted he would. Carrying breakfast into the living area, Eren was sitting by the front door. There were fresh scratch marks carved into its peeling paint   
"Eren, breakfast is ready and you need to eat. You need to keep your strength up, for both your sake and the baby's"  
His heart sank when Eren didn't immediately come to his side, but Levi force himself not to show it. When his breakfast was done, Levi gathered up his teacup and plate leaving the rest for Eren   
"I'm going to clean the house, starting in the kitchen. Do you need anything?"  
Eren looked towards the door  
"You want to go out?"  
Nodding, the wolf rose to his feet  
"If I open the door, will you run?"  
Eren managed to look insulted and annoyed  
"This would be so much easier if you would just speak to me"  
Whining, Eren shook his head  
"I know. You need time, but I don't want anything happening to you"  
The teen huffed  
"Do you really need the door open?"  
Lifting his back leg, Levi finally got it. Eren hadn't wanted to admit he needed to use the bathroom  
"Alright. I'll open the door, but will you let me know when you come back in? You don't have to come into the kitchen, so just scratch at the door or something. Does that sound fair?"  
Nodding, Eren watched his every move, almost tripping him in his hurry to get out the door. They couldn't just leave the doors open all the time, it simply wasn't safe... but he hadn't saved Eren for him to be caged up again. For now, he just had to show Eren he trusted him. Returning to the kitchen, it was only a few minutes later that his trust was rewarded by Eren scratching at the wall. Calling out a "thank you" to the teen, Levi left him to eat breakfast in peace. See. They could make this work. 

While Levi cleaned, Eren migrated back to bed. With the door open, Eren's wide green eyes were watching him. Not wanting to make him self conscious, Levi avoided looking directly in their room, though part of him did want to tease his lover. He couldn't help but be relieved that Eren was recovering, buuut, his brat's scent was also playing havoc with libido and he hated himself for it. They hadn't even talked, or talked about Eren feeding him... but his mind was jumping back to the swell of Eren's stomach, and taking his imagination with it. The fact they were now all alone, and Eren's eyes hadn't left him since he'd come into range only stroked his desires further. If this was any other time, Eren would have been flirting nonstop by now... maybe he selfishly wanted his brat to hurry up and get over it all? The moment that thought crossed his mind, he was appalled with himself. His arousal dropping in an instant, and Eren's gaze became too much. Eren was trusting him to be with him, and only him.

 

*  
Levi had decided that they needed a routine, now that Eren was awake. He let his brat have the first two days off, and implemented it on the third. It took Eren another four days to finally wander back into the kitchen during breakfast. His boyfriend really didn't like him handling knives, but instead of running completely, he sat in the doorway and just watched Levi prepare things for the day. After breakfast, they'd go for a short walk, as that was all Eren could currently handle. That was followed by Levi walking Eren back to their room, settling him down in bed, then leaving him to take care of things around the house. Axes were a major no go. The first time Eren had heard him cutting through firewood, he'd panicked so badly he'd passed out in a pool of his own vomit, so now Levi to split the wood a good hundred metres or so away from the house. This house sucked in comparison to the one they'd spent his heat in. There was little to no game, and even though he'd told Erwin he wouldn't leave, it wasn't feasible to stay. He didn't want to let Eren down, but they were really going to have to talk about it.

Levi waited a few more days to broach the subject. Cleaning the house from top to bottom, he had indeed found a letter from the Brat Squad, and a little money that he couldn't quite imagine Erwin leaving. Packing both items away, he went about making breakfast while Eren still slept. His nightmares had been particularly bad the night before, and if it wasn't for the fact they were on their last sack of flour, he would have saved the conversation for another day. When breakfast was made, Levi retired to the living room to wait, though it didn't take long for his boyfriend to come stumbling out, the smell of fresh bread had him padding right up to the sliced loaf. Waiting for the teen to sit, Levi took a deep breath  
"Eren, we need to talk"  
Shrinking back on the lounge, Eren looked like he was about to bolt and Levi realised his mistake   
"No. Sorry. That came out wrong. I love you and the baby. I'm not leaving you"  
Eren didn't look totally convinced   
"I know Erwin told us to stay here, but honestly, we're running low on supplies. There's very little game here and I've been thinking it might be time to leave. You're getting better every single day, and I'm proud of your progress. So, I was thinking we could find somewhere new, or somewhere closer to the castle if you wanted... maybe even the house we shared before? We know there's a good supply of game in the area, and it's also somewhere you're more familiar with. But if you want to stay here, that's fine too. I'll just have to do a trip to Trost soon to stock up"

Eren froze, letting out a pained groan as he shifted back to his human form. If it wasn't for the groan, he would have been elated to see his boyfriend's human form again. With a very soft and shaky tone, Eren placed a hand to his throat   
"Go"  
"You want to go? I don't want to force you if you're not up to it"  
Coughing, the teen winced. Words probably felt foreign after everything he'd been through  
"Want to go"  
"Alright. Let me know when you're ready. Do you want some hot tea? It might helps soothe your throat"  
Eren opened his mouth before closing it and looking down  
"I know that look. I know you're frustrated and I know you've got a lot going on in your head, but you don't have to tell me until you're ready. You don't need to feel bad for asking for things or needing help. I want to be there for you and our baby"  
"Ours?"  
Had Eren been worrying over the father? Even if it hadn't been his, he would still love his brat all the same  
"I can't taste anyone else in your blood. Just traces of me, from the baby"  
"P-promise?"  
"I promise you. Just like you, they're a fighter"  
Dragging his knees up, Eren looked down to his swell  
"How about I make you some tea?"  
"Then we go?"  
"If you want? It won't take long to pack"  
His boyfriend nodded slowly, and it took all the self control he had not to rush over and gather him into his arms. He'd get to hold Eren as much as he liked soon, because there was no way he was letting his boyfriend ride on a horse alone.

Sipping his hot tea, Levi packed for Eren. Making sure to take as many blankets as he could fold into the backpack Erwin had left behind. With blades and gas, he'd had to fashion two saddle bags out of sheets, because they really couldn't afford to leave them behind, and the cart they'd used to move here didn't have the straps for attaching it to a horse. His manoeuvre gear had also been repaired, probably by Hanji, but he didn't have gear for Eren, which was probably for the best as his boyfriend couldn't even handle a simple kitchen knife. If anything happened, he could send Eren ahead on the horse. It took a couple of hours to get everything perfect, before making sure Eren was suitably dressed for the trip. The teen didn't have boots either, and refused to wear socks. Like his wrists had been, his ankles were now a big no-no. He'd have to remember that, and work something out. He couldn't have his pregnant mate walking around barefooted. It just wasn't safe. Getting Eren onto the horse was whole other hurdle. Getting him on was fine, but when Levi climbed up behind him, Eren nearly jumped back off. Small whines of distress came the moment Levi rubbed his arm  
"Just breathe. It's me. It's just you and me, and our baby"  
His gentle words didn't help. Eren sitting ramrod straight in front of him as they left the farm. He'd left a clue for anyone, Hanji, who'd follow. The words "first heat" carved into the kitchen table. Hopefully the woman would be smart enough to figure it out, if not, rumours would probably pop up about the house being used or people seeing them as they passed.


	44. Chapter 44

Levi hated leaving Eren's side, even for a minute. Something inside his boyfriend had broken again. After a solid mornings ride, Eren had suddenly slumped limply against him. His brats eyes were half closed, like he was dozing off, but he didn't fall asleep. He just stayed like that, even after they'd passed Stohess. Levi didn't want to leave Eren alone in his current condition, but they needed food. Eren needed food. His love needed food, blankets and clothes that actually fitted. Even though he'd been feeding on the very bare minimum of Eren's blood, by scratching Eren's throat with one fang as he slept then licking the small traces off his fur, his brat was still far too weak to be feeding him. His body was putting all its effort into their growing baby. Walking their horse into the closet grounding of trees, Levi slipped down from the saddle, catching Eren as he fell sideways. Carrying him over the base of the closest tree, he laid Eren down gently, before going back to gather up his backpack. Setting up the best bed he could, he lifted Eren into the layers tucking him gently  
"Eren, can you hear me?"  
Eren laid on his side, his half open eyes gazing past him. Taking his hand, Levi moved it to rest on Eren's stomach, placing his own over it  
"Eren, I need to go to Stohess. I need to get you food. Real food. For you and our baby. I know you haven't been eating as much as you need, and I know we're been working up to you eating more, but you and the baby... you need more. I love you and it kills me to have to go. I promised I wouldn't. But this is for you... for both of you"  
Leaning down, Levi nuzzled into Eren cheek  
"I love you, and I trust you. I'll be two, maybe three hours at the very most. But I won't have to go again. I'll bring back enough supplies. Everything you need"  
Closing Eren's eyes, his boyfriend confined to just lay there. Making leaving even harder.

 

*  
Fucking Stohess. Getting everything he wanted and needed for Eren had taken more time and money than he'd expected. Even bartering tooth and nail hadn't done much good, and the money they had barely stretched far enough, with most of it going onto food supplies, forcing him to abandon his plans for extra blankets. They'd have plenty provided there were still some left there and the house hadn't been trashed by stray werewolves. Still, he was annoyed with himself for not being able to stretch their money further. He wanted to give Eren nice things and to pamper him, sure he'd bought him clothes, but that was a necessity. He wants to spoil his boyfriend a little, and make him feel safe and wanted. He wanted Eren to feel like he was with him for more than just the sake of their baby.

Returning to the place he'd left Eren, his boyfriend hadn't moved, though he had fallen asleep. Smiling at the sight, Levi dismounted his horse and went about setting up the rest of their camp while his love slept. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to tell the teen, if he didn't remember their conversation about Levi having to head into Stohess, because he'd essentially left Eren open and vulnerable to attack. Opting for a distracting in the hopes of skipping the conversation completely, he laid out part of the spread of food he'd purchase for his omega, in what he hoped looked more like a romantic picnic, instead of just dinner. The scene was complete with a bonfire, which wasn't too large, so as not to draw attention to him. Once he was sure it was perfect, he gently roused Eren from his slumber, the teen giving him a soft smile as his green eyes fluttered open. Yawning, Eren then hummed as he rubbed at his stomach   
"Did you sleep well?"  
"Yeah... sorry, my throat's still sore"  
"It's fine. As long as you manage to sleep. We're about half an hour south east of Stohess"  
Nodding sleepily, Eren yawned again   
"Are you hungry? I've got dinner organised. I was thinking once you ate, we could cuddle under the stars"  
"Mmmm... sounds good"  
Accepting his hand, Eren rose, stretching high and exposing his swell. Levi could stare at it all day. Blushing, Eren's hands went to the edge of his shirt, tugging the fabric back down   
"You don't need to hide it. No one else is around"  
The teen nodded, turning away from him  
"Eren?"  
"Have to pee..."  
"Ok, just don't take too long"  
As long as he was alright, that's all that mattered. Moving to sit on the blanket he'd laid their dinner on, Levi tried not to look too desperate. He wanted Eren to sit close enough that he could wrap his arms around his brat and hold him, without seemingly like he wanted to smother him. 

Coming back, Eren sighed as he sank down next to him. Close enough to reach the food, but not close enough to cuddle. The sweet smell of slick clung to the teen, making Levi's stomach rumbled with hunger. It'd been way too long since he'd tasted his brat's sweetness. Grabbing an apple, Levi tried to remember how to act causally, but Eren was glaring at all the food in front of him, making him feel like he'd somehow failed to provide for him  
"Is everything alright?"  
"So much..."  
"Food? I want you to eat as much as you can without making yourself sick. You and the baby both need it"  
"It's ok to eat?"  
"I wouldn't have bought if I didn't want you eating it"  
Still looking at their dinner like it had done something wrong, Eren was slow to start picking at the bread and cheese he'd laid out. Each movement seemed hesitant, as if he expected Levi to yell at him for it. Gradually Eren began to eat a little faster, before slowly working his way up to wolfing down everything he could. Easing all of Levi's worries as he did.

When dinner was done, Eren had crossed his legs, his eyes closed as he rubbed at his swollen stomach. The sight was intoxicating, Levi unable to look away from Eren's long nimble fingers as he imagined the brat moaning under his touch. Unable to stop himself, a small growl escaped his lips, snapping Eren back to reality   
"Levi?"  
The huskiness in Eren's voice shot straight to his groin. Shit. He wanted his brat so fucking badly  
"It's... sorry"  
"Did I do something?"  
"No... no, I didn't mean to growl"  
"But you did"  
"I know I did"  
"Why?"  
"It doesn't matter. Are you tired?"  
"A little... but I want to know why you growled"  
"It doesn't matter"  
Eren fell silent, the teen moving to draw his knees up to his chest   
"Sorry. You didn't do anything wrong"  
"Then why do you look so mad?"  
"I'm mad at me. Not you"  
"You're mad at yourself?"  
Coughing, Eren placed a hand to his throat  
"Are your glands sore?"  
"No... words don't feel right"  
"Don't feel right?"  
"The did something to my throat"  
He'd already figured that much out, but Eren didn't seem up to being questioned over it   
"Why don't we lay down?"  
"It's ok"  
"Eren..."  
"I said it's ok!"  
Trembling at his own tone, Eren scrambled to his feet  
"I'm going to bed"  
Just like that, the teen walked back over to the pile of blankets, and climbed back into his make shift bed.

From the way Eren carried himself and the way he chose to lay face away from him, he knew the teen was overthinking what just happened. Making sure the blanket wasn't about to catch fire, Levi then walked over to Eren's side, before climbing into bed next to him  
"Eren, it's ok. I know you didn't mean to snap"  
"I made you madder"  
"I'm not mad"  
"You said you were"  
"At myself, not at you"  
"But you didn't do anything"  
"I was thinking about how you were touching yourself, and how long it's been since I touched you"  
He had to at least get some points for being honest  
"Why would you want to touch me?"  
"Because I love you"  
"Do you?"  
"I do"  
"Really?"  
"Yes"  
Rolling to face him, Eren had his bottom lip trapped in his teeth as silent tears rolled down his face  
"I'm broken, aren't I?"  
"Just a little"  
"That's why you're not treating me like you used to"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You're not getting angry or yelling or swearing... you're being... soft"  
"I was trying to be nice"  
"Well stop it. I don't know how to act anymore"  
"Do you want me to go back to calling you my shitty brat?"  
Eren sniffled as he nodded  
"You've been through so much, and I didn't want to hurt you any further, or risk upsetting you"  
"But fighting was part of who we were..."  
"And I just got you back. You're scared all the time. You're jumpy and today you were practically non responsive"  
"I don't want to be treated differently. You don't even feed properly"  
"I didn't want to scare you"  
"I was proud to feed you... and now that's been taken away from me, just like everything else"  
Eren's silent tears became wails. Levi rushing to pull Eren close to him, and hush him as he sobbed earnestly   
"I can't remember what they did to me! But I keep seeing things! When I sleep, I remember"  
"It's better you don't..."  
"It hurt! And you weren't there!"  
That felt like a stab in the gut. He would have been there in a heartbeat if he could have been  
"I know. I'm sorry"  
"I screamed for you"  
"I'm sorry..."  
Rubbing Eren's back, the teen angrily thumped on Levi's chest with his fist   
"I'm sorry I was late and I'm sorry I don't know how to make this better. I've always been shit at these kind of things, but you mean the world to me brat"  
"I just want this to be over!"  
Eren's voice couldn't stand the strain of his attempts to yell, cracking and falling back to a whisper  
"Things will get better"  
"For how long? They hate us! They want us dead"  
"And that's not going to happen. Even if I have take you beyond the walls"  
"I want to fight"  
"You will. Someday. You need to recover first"  
"I'm so tired"  
"Then go back to sleep. I've got you"  
"But what happens when you leave?"  
"We've got enough supplies to get to the house, and I got seeds. Maybe even some of the seeds you tried to sow would have grown by now. I won't have to leave, other than to bring home game"  
"You're not made for sitting around"  
"Protecting you is hardly me sitting around. You have a habit of getting into trouble, and I'm not letting you out of me sight"  
Those were the wrong words. Eren rolling back to face away from him and curling into himself   
"Eren?"  
"I'm going to sleep"  
"Oh... alright. I love you"  
He didn't get a reply... and he also didn't know what was wrong with what he'd said. He wanted to protect Eren from everything and everyone. Was that really so bad?

 

*  
Eren didn't know how to explain to Levi what was going on in his head. He didn't understand any of it, and it felt like each time he was close to remembering something, his mind would just shut down. He was cold and he was scared, the two feelings never leaving him, even in Levi's arms. He knew Levi wouldn't hurt him, but he was scared of him too. He was scared his alpha would just snap. That he'd grow tired of him, and leave him to drown... Being a wolf had been comforting and safe. He was strong as wolf. Strong and powerful. But as a human, he just felt weak and ashamed... and even more confusingly, horny as fuck. He'd woken from nap the previous day coated in slick, with more gushing out. Each time he caught sight of Levi, or caught a particularly strong whiff of the man's scent, he found himself groaning internally with lust. Yes, he'd had urges in his wolf form, but they weren't as intense. He knew Levi was feeding from him, taking the bare minimum he needed, yet he'd been able to sleep through it. So why? Why did they have to be so fucking strong when he was human? Why did his mind have to go straight to thoughts of how much pleasure Levi's fangs brought, and how empty he felt without the man buried firmly in his arse. Especially when the thought of pain and blood left him feeling queasy. He'd been so proud to be able to feed his alpha. So proud that his blood healed Levi and left him satisfied... now he just felt conflicted... and horny. Really fucking horny. The arousal he was suffering only grew worse when he'd woken to find Levi curled around him, his head resting on his stomach with one hand supporting the bottom of his swell. The sight would have been sweet, if his dick had got the message that sex now scared him, and had given him a break instead of throbbing in time with his arse and heart. He didn't know what to do... or how to act. He didn't know how to get past the fact he'd been tortured for over two months. Two months in which Levi would have fed from someone else. Two months where the man would have been up and walking around, free to do as he pleased. He'd missed two months of his life and now he felt like an outsider as everyone else had moved on without him. How was he supposed to tell Levi any of that? 

Trapped beneath the man, Eren covered his face with one of the escaped blankets, as he felt himself tearing up. He couldn't tell Levi. His whole body shook as he started to sob, unable to stop himself. A warm calloused hand slid across his stomach, lips pressing kisses to his swell as Levi greeted their baby before him. Nuzzling against his belly button, Levi pressed another kiss to stretched skin, before sliding up to pull the blanket from his face. With a sad smile, Levi leaned in and kissed him softly  
"What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it? Was it a bad dream?"  
Shaking his own head, Levi nodded in reply as he snaked an arm around Eren's waist  
"Are you in pain?"  
Eren shook his head again, his body tensing as he tried to shift to avoid Levi's questions, only to find his craptastic morning getting even worse. He couldn't shift. Trying again and again and then again, his heart was racing as his breathing grew uneven. What?! Why?! Why couldn't he shift? It'd hurt to shift back to his human form, but now he couldn't go back? Shifting was his safe space. Shifting helped him think and he didn't need to talk. Wheezing, he was pulled up to sit, Levi being annoyingly attentive as he rubbed his back and tried to soothe him. He couldn't shift. He... Why?!

Levi was still thinking he must have had a bad dream or something as they readied themselves for the day. Walking on two legs felt weird. Everything was annoying far from the ground, and his whole sense of balance seemed to have been thrown from the change in perspective. Even walking sent his head spinning, let alone climbing onto a horse and fighting to stay upright. He couldn't remember yesterday's ride, only that it'd felt amazing to be in the sun again. If he could, he'd just curl up in the sun and sleep away the rest of his life. A plan he'd probably get bored of and abandon after a few hours, but the warmth helped to take the chill from his bones. Having dragged out breakfast as long as possible, Eren found himself hoisted up onto the back of their horse, his fingers cramping as he grabbed the saddle in an attempt to stop falling off. The next bit was going to be pure torture. The curve of the saddle was already rubbing against his groin, making him wish he could grind down against it, but when Levi climbed up behind him, he also had to deal with the man's touch and scent assaulting his senses  
"You ready?"  
Jumping, Eren blushed, but nodded quickly. The sooner they left, the sooner they got to safety of the house. It wasn't like he wanted to be locked up again. That wasn't it at all. It was just that being outside was so... outside. There were no places to hide. No doors to lock. No privacy and nowhere to hide his emotions. He couldn't feel safe outside, not in such a vulnerable state. All he could really do was rely on Levi... 

It didn't take long for his arousal to turn to nausea. The burning feeling in his gut replaced with the sensation of breathlessness, like how you struggle to breathe before vomiting. Desperately he'd swallowed it down the best he could, not wanting to be a burden. But gradually it grew to the point where he couldn't stop himself. Grabbing the reins, he pulled firmly, the horse nearly rearing as she was forced to come to sudden stop  
"Eren?"  
Shaking his head, he tried to get off. All that did was upset his stomach further. Vomiting violently across his stomach and down his leg, his body kept heaving until there was nothing left to give. Levi had grabbed his head and forced him to throw up so it actually hit the ground, but he'd been too late. Why couldn't he get anything right?! Exhausted, the teen slumped against Levi his whole body aching from effort as his eyes slowly closed  
"Eren?"  
He was just too tired to answer and too ashamed. Vomiting was dirty and Levi hated dirty things  
"You're alright. Shit. Ok. You've got it across yourself and along your arm. We're going to have stop so I can get you cleaned up... but there's no trees around here... shit. Fuck"  
His alpha sounded mad. Whimpering pathetically, he tried to curl away from the sound of Levi's voice. Levi's hold on him grew tighter, the man's arm now in his mess as he slid it down to rest around the bottom of his baby bump  
"Hold still, brat. You'll only end up making it worse. Let me know if you need to hurl next time"  
Feeling the horse begin to move again, Eren's stomach rolled. Levi thankfully only kept her at a walk, but copious amounts of drool and spit formed in his mouth, the urge to heave making him gag. They only continued for another half hour or so, before Levi finally gave up and he was half manhandled off the horse and onto the grass, where Levi took over completely, stripping him and changing his clothes as if he were a little kid. He could do these things for himself if Levi gave him a chance. He tried to tell Levi that exact thought, only for his words to get stuck in his throat. He didn't want to be treated like a child or like he was stupid or simple or even sick. His own stubbornness sending his mood spiralling even further.

When Levi deemed them both clean, Eren was once again forced onto the back of the horse. If he'd had to guess, he'd say they'd taken roughly an hours break. His stomach still felt uncomfortable, his hips ached like crazy and Levi seemed to like riding while touching his stomach. Instead of having both hands on the reins, Levi's right hand rested on his stomach as they rode. As nice as it was, it really didn't do anything to help. If anything, it stirred their child up, the small infant inside of him kicking and spinning from the feel of it, like they were trying to show off for Levi. Levi was so in love with their child, he wouldn't actually be surprised if it was trying to impress him, he just wished it had picked a better time.

That night Levi wouldn't let him do anything. They'd lucked out by finding a thick grove of trees, complete with a small river and pond. The idea of bathing scared the hell out of him, but Levi wanted to be clean, which meant some time alone. Sitting back from the shore with his back to a tree, Eren watched Levi's figure as he bathed. The only light was the moonlight from above, giving Levi an almost otherworldly silver glow. Still horny and finally at his breaking point, he'd shimmied his pants off and was now jerking off. The aching feeling to be filled wasn't leaving, and his first orgasm hadn't cooled the molten nest of arousal in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to be able to strip off and run into the water. To throw himself at Levi and be fucked until he passed out, but his second orgasm wouldn't come. His body was demanding more, while the back of his mind was breaking down. It hurt. It hurt to doubt Levi's feelings for him. He was hesitant to even call him his boyfriend. Alpha didn't seem to be that bad, given he was carrying Levi's child, but boyfriend felt kind of awkward. Levi kept telling him he loved him, so why had he waited until the very last second to save him? Watching as Levi ducked under the water, Eren kicked the ground with a huff, his hand still working his aching dick as his annoyance with himself continued to rise. All he had to do was get up and get fucked. He'd been through worse... but that would be insulting the relationship he'd had with Levi. 

Caught with his hand on his dick, his eyes accidentally locked with Levi's. the alpha having the nerve to lick his lips before walking up from the lake and over to him. Squatting down in front of him, Levi didn't even seem to care that Eren was nearly having a heart attack over how stupidly hot he was  
"Something I can help you with?"  
That cocky arsehole!  
"Did you enjoy the show?"  
"N-no"  
Levi snorted   
"I think other parts of you have something else to say about that"  
"Don't look at me"  
Levi's smile turned to a frown  
"Eren, I didn't mean to upset you"  
"I said don't look at me! I don't want you looking at me like this!"  
"Hey, what's wrong. Talk to me"  
"I don't want to be touched"  
Levi let out a small sigh  
"I won't touch you, if you don't want me to"  
"But I do! I fucking hate this! The feeling won't go away"  
"So, you're horny and you want some release... but you're not ready for sex?"  
It sounded just as stupid when Levi said it  
"Something like that"  
"Eren, it's nothing to be ashamed of"  
"It's stupid"  
"You've been through a lot. It's natural to be horny while pregnant"  
"What?"  
"It's natural. I won't touch you if you don't want me to, but don't be ashamed of what you're feeling"  
Fuck Levi and his understandingness. He wasn't ready for this, but he couldn't come  
"I can't come..."  
Mumbling the words, Eren's cheeks burnt   
"You can't?"  
"And it hurts"  
Placing his hands on Eren's legs, Levi stared in him in the eye   
"Do you want me to help you?"  
"I don't want to have sex"  
"You're not ready for sex. I never should have admitted that I wanted you yesterday... I didn't think"  
"I've um... been horny for a while"  
"It's natural"  
"It's weird!"  
"It's not weird. Close your eyes"  
"No! No..."  
He surprised himself with his strong reaction, Levi forced a smile for his sake  
"Ok, I'm going to give you a little release. If you feel uncomfortable, I'll stop"  
"It already hurts"  
"Then it can only get better"  
Rubbing his hands on Eren's legs to warm them, Levi then swatted Eren's hand away from his aching dick. With a fucking smirk, Levi gripped the base, before sliding his lips down his shaft. Fuuuuuuuuuck. Why was it so easy for Levi to make his body completely betray him? Whining as Levi pulled up, his alpha began sucking lightly as he bobbed his head, making Eren's toes curl with pleasure. Where he'd spent at least half an hour trying to come, Levi spent all of two minutes before he came down the man's throat with a long moan. His arse still felt empty, but the release was pure bliss. Draining him, Levi milked the last few drops of his cum, before slowly sliding his lips off with a wet pop. Still fucking smirking  
"Better?"  
"Mmm"  
"Don't be ashamed to tell me what you want or need. I love you and I would do anything for you"  
"I want to go to sleep"  
"Let's get you cleaned up then"  
"I can clean myself"  
"I know. It's just... I want to. I'm still... I'm happy you're back in your human form, and shit..."  
It was so close to being romantic, but so very Levi to take a slight right turn right at the end. Eren couldn't help but snort   
"You're an arse"  
"We already know this"  
"And it's not like I hate you"  
"I would hope not"  
"But I need some space. I was trying to take care of this without you noticing"  
"You think I couldn't... no. I told you I'd do what you wanted. Will you at least let me get you a cloth?"  
"That would be nice... um... Thank you"  
Levi gave him a smile, the man was probably just happy that he'd agreed to clean up. His first orgasm was spent across his stomach, cold and scratchy as it dried, while between his legs felt like he'd sat in a puddle. It was probably cruel to let Levi suck him off. The man deserved better and they were going to need to talk, soon... rather than never liked he'd been hoping for.

Still repeating what had happened over and over in his mind, Eren forced himself not to die of embarrassment when Levi climbed into bed behind him. Flinching at the soft contact of Levi's hand on his stomach, he whined softly   
"Is this alright?"  
"Levi... not tonight"  
"But you want to talk?"  
"Just not tonight..."  
"Are you mad?"  
"Mad?"  
"You barely talk with me"  
"I don't know what to say yet"  
"Anything and everything. I missed your voice"  
"I'm not ready"  
"Then tell me about earlier"  
"What about earlier?"  
"You didn't want to be touched"  
"It still feels weird"  
"You know I wouldn't hurt you, don't you?"  
"Do I?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You left me there for months"  
"I... I didn't leave you"  
"Then where were you? Why did you let them torture me!?"  
"I didn't let them! I was unconscious. For seven weeks I was in a shitty coma!"  
Coma... no one had told him that... Levi hadn't told him that... Why hadn't he told him? How did even get himself hurt that badly? Was it because Eren wasn't there to feed him? Was that it? But... Wait, how long had he actually been gone then?! They said two months... but it felt so much longer than that. It felt like years...  
"How long was I gone?"  
"9 weeks... maybe 10. When I woke up... you were all I could think about. I was so angry they hadn't saved you. That they hadn't brought you back. That's how I ended up quitting"  
"Quitting?"  
Quitting what? Quitting finding him? He was too tired for such an important conversation. His words were mumbled and muddling into each other. Levi on the other hand seems wide awake, his hand still resting against Eren's stomach, where their child was spinning flips  
"I told you I left, didn't I?"  
Oooh. The Survey Corps. Erwin had said something about coming back...  
"Sorry. Everything's just a mess in here"  
"I never would have guessed... Did you think I really left you?"  
Eren closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath  
"Yes. No... maybe. I just... it's all messed up. You kept saying you loved me, but you left me. It's confusing"  
"I didn't leave you. They took you. They took you away from me because I left you alone"  
"I don't remember"  
"It's... it's not alright. But it's a conversation for a different time"  
"I just want to sleep now"  
"Can I stay?"  
Eren wanted to say no, but that was his own insecurities getting the better of him. Since he'd woken, Levi had taken such good care of him...  
"Yeah. But we're just sleeping"  
"I know. I love you, brat"  
Levi snuggled into him, his fingertips digging into his stomach as Levi let out a low sigh. 

 

*  
Waking before Eren, Levi enjoying the small moment of peace as he wriggled down, placing his head on Eren's stomach. He loved resting his head against the swell and feeling their child. He'd spent hours laying there, if Eren would let him. He was so proud of his brat, and proud of his baby for fighting so hard to live. He was hopelessly in love with both of them. Nuzzling against the swell, he pressed kisses to Eren's soft skin. Small pink stretch marks had started to form as his pregnancy progressed, and Levi had to admit they did all kinds of things to him. It just... he was getting soft in his old age, or maybe it was just when it came to his green eyed brat. Smiling as their baby kicked, he pressed a firm to kiss to the spot   
"Good morning to you too. I hope you're going to behave today. Yesterday we barely made any progress because you made your mother sick"  
Feeling their child kick again, he snorted  
"You're not going to, are you? You're going to be a trouble maker just like your mum. Maria help me, if you've got those same bright eyes, I'm going to be wrapped around your little finger, aren't I?"  
Kissing Eren's stomach again, he paid careful attention to the sleeping teen. He didn't want to spook him, especially now he knew he'd been accidentally uncomfortable. He wasn't great at this feelings and healing thing, and Eren used to be so clingy. He loved human contact. He loved cuddling, and touches. So Levi had wanted to shower him with love and affection, but that had just upset him. He never should have admitted that he wanted him, or wanted to touch him. Eren hadn't talked to him after he'd cleaned up and climbed into bed, so Levi had given him space until he'd run out things to do around camp. He'd have to mentally redraw all his boundaries, starting with sleeping next to Eren. He'd have to make a seperate bed for himself tonight... and probably the following night... and the one after that... it was a thoroughly depressing thought. As Eren tensed beneath him, Levi forced himself to get up. Even laying next to his boyfriend might upset him unintentionally, and just because he'd let stay before they'd fallen asleep, didn't mean Eren felt the same now that the morning had come.

While they got ready, Eren was far too quiet. Barely talking more than the bare minimum to get things done. Levi wanted to pull him up on it. He wanted to ask him if he was alright, or if he needed anything, instead he kept his distance, letting Eren fold their blankets, and dress himself. Maybe the kid didn't want to share a horse anymore? There wasn't much they could do about it. They only had the one mare, and Eren wasn't strong enough to ride alone...  
"Eren, are you ready to go?"  
"Yeah..."  
That wasn't an enthused "yeah" it was a more like "fuck no, but I've got no choose", kind of "yeah"  
"Do you want to shift? We can take the morning slow, and then sleep in tomorrow before passing through Krolva"  
"Krolva? We're not going through Trost?"  
"We're too well known there. Even just passing runs the risk of us being recognised. So if you want to take some time in your wolf form to run or walk, I don't mind"  
"I can't"  
Levi raised an eyebrow  
"You can't?"  
"I tried to shift yesterday and I couldn't. When I shifted back to my human form... it hurt"  
He'd suspected Eren's shift had hurt, but he hadn't expected that Eren wouldn't be able to shift at all. Eren shifting was his backup, back up plan if something was to happen and Eren needed to escape in a hurry   
"I'm sorry"  
"No. You don't need to apologise. Let's just get you up on the horse"  
Eren sighed, hugging himself as walked over   
"Something wrong?"  
"Um... not really"  
"Are you in pain?"  
"No, it's not that"  
"Then what is it?"  
"I guess I'm not really used to being on two legs again..."  
"You miss being a wolf?"  
"Yeah... it felt safer"  
"You've only been back in your human for three days and awake for two weeks. Even if it doesn't feel like it, I still think you're doing ok"  
Eren rolled his eyes, but didn't move any closer to the horse  
"Is that really what it's all about? Or is something else wrong? I know you like to ride"  
"It's... can we just take it slow today?"  
"Do you think you're going to get sick again?"  
"Something like that"  
"Something like that, or exactly like that"  
"I didn't want to make you worry"  
"Eren, I do worry, but I know you're strong. You still need to tell me things like this, so I can plan ahead. Now, tell me exactly why you think you're going to get sick. Is it the baby?"  
"I... don't know. I keep getting dizzy. Everything seems distant"  
"Everything? Like your memories?"  
"Like I'm too fucking high from the ground!"  
Snapping, Eren immediately looked guilty. It wasn't his fault. He couldn't control being dizzy or sick from heights and movement  
"It's because you're so fucking tall. Now, come over here so I can get you up there. We'll walk for a bit, and if you feel sick, tell me rather than just grabbing the reins"  
"I don't want to be a burden"  
"You're not a burden. You're still readjusting"  
"Well, I'm sick of it"  
"Once we get to the house and get settled, things will look up"  
"That's because things are so shit now, that the only way to go is up"  
Levi wouldn't have quite described them as shit. Eren was up and moving. He was still pregnant with their baby. Aaaand no one was trying to kill them. Being "on the run" wasn't ideal, but soon they'd be settled down together... so maybe they were a little crappy, but not all together shit. Giving Eren a half smile he nodded, the teen finally coming to stand by the horse with a heavy sigh   
"You're too young to be sighing like that"  
"And you're too old to be babysitting"  
Helping Eren up, Levi then swung himself up behind his brat, trying to lift Eren's mood, he hoped he didn't sound too stupid   
"Is it really babysitting when you're with the one you love?"  
"You're getting senile in your old age..."  
"And you're getting cheekier. Don't forget to tell me if you need a break"  
"Yeah, yeah. Give it half an hour and I'll want to throw up again"  
"I don't know if that's an insult to my riding skills or not?"  
"Maybe... Can we just go? I don't feel safe out in the open like this"  
"You're safe. I'll keep you safe"  
Two important conversations in the last 24 hours? Three if he included the one before blowing Eren... that had to be a good sign... now if he could just get his brat to keep talking, they might actually be able to talk about what happened to him while in the "care" of the Government.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired of travelling... how much further?! Are we there yet?!?


	45. Chapter 45

Krolva was an experience Levi never wanted to repeat again. Eren was scared of everything. Some shitty stranger on the street had sneezed, sending Eren into sobs, until he'd worked himself into a panic attack over it all. It didn't matter to the teen that he was well disguised, in a blanket Levi had fashioned to look like a dress, or that his longer hair made him look like a woman. His brat couldn't calm, back down which only drew more attention to them. Levi had hoped that Eren would be able to remain calm enough that they could stop at an inn for the night, but that had gone right out the window. They'd had to ride right through, crossing out the city in the dead of night, thanks to a few lazy MP's wanting them out the way, rather than dealing with the reports of "a short man roughing up a tall woman". The pair had probably had a good laugh to themselves, thinking he and Eren were as good as dead the moment they the safety of Wall Rose, completely ignorant to their real identities or intentions. Wanting to put as much distance between them and the city, they'd ridden well into the night, only stopping when Levi noticed the saddle was wet from Eren. From how still and quiet he was, he'd thought his brat had passed out, it wasn't until he'd lifted him down from their mare. His boyfriend had chewed his lip bloody, while his eyes were glassy as if he weren't really connected with reality. They'd barely been in the city for an hour, yet it'd completely fucked with Eren's mental health. He fucking hated it. Eren didn't deserve this shit.

Eren continued to remain silent as they rode for the house. The teen only vocal during his nightmares, which usually consisted of him begging to be released or for their baby not to be hurt. When Levi would wake him, Eren would look at him with such pained eyes, before getting up and wandering around their camp like he was lost. It was frustrating not knowing what to say, and trying to respect Eren wanting space, while fighting the need to go wrap his arms around the teen and kiss all his troubles away.

It was a solid four days until Eren perked back up. His boyfriend actually waking him for a change, by snuggling into his side and taking his hand. It was crazy how happy the action made him, while his heart did that stupid thing where it felt like it'd skipped a beat. Kissing Eren's forehead, the teen blushed lightly   
"Hey you"  
"Hey"  
Words... well a word... but it was a word that was directed at him  
"Feeling alright?"  
"Mmm... sleepy"  
"Then why aren't you sleeping?"  
"Because I wanted to talk to you"  
"You don't have to force yourself"  
"'m not"  
Yawning the words out, Eren hid his face against Levi's neck, taking a deep breath of his scent   
"Sorry I've been quiet"  
"I'm guessing Krolva was a bit too much?"  
"Just a little. I was embarrassed"  
"You didn't talk because you were embarrassed?"  
"Kind of... and being near so many people... their smells and the smells of the city were too much. I need to process it all"  
"And you've done that?"  
"Kind of... can we just cuddle? I feel kind of lonely"  
Levi's brain was still catching up. Eren had been too embarrassed to talk? For four days?! And now he was lonely... but he'd been the one who wasn't talking..  
"I thought you wanted space?"  
Eren sighed, starting to pull away. Wrapping his arm around the teen's waist, Levi pulled him back against him  
"You don't have to move. I was trying to respect your wishes"  
"I don't want to be touched, but I do... and... I thought maybe you missed my stomach"  
"Just your stomach?"  
"I know you like touching it"  
"I like touching all of you. Not just your stomach"  
"Well... I heard you talking to the baby... but you always move away before I get up"  
That cheeky little shit. Now he was the one who was embarrassed. Eren wasn't supposed to know about his morning ritual  
"I. Uh. I was trying to give you space"  
"I know. It's just really cute when you're talking to my stomach"  
"It's grown"  
"Are you calling me fat?"  
"No. I'm just saying it's grown..."  
"Because I'm fat"  
"You're not fat. It's a good thing your stomach's growing. It means our baby is"  
"I still think I've been insulted somehow, but they like it when you talk to them"  
"I feel like an idiot"  
"You're not an idiot. It makes me feel a little better knowing you'll be they for them. Even if I die or whatever"  
"You're not going to die"  
"You don't know that"  
"I won't let you die. Not after all the shit I had to go through to get you back"  
"I'm glad my near death was such an inconvenience"  
"Just don't let it happen again"  
"I make no promises"  
Levi growled, squeezing Eren hard enough that he squeaked   
"Child birth isn't easy"  
"I don't want to think about you dying"  
"I'm just being realistic"  
"Well stop it"  
"Why don't you make me?"  
"And how am I supposed to do that?"  
"You could make me breakfast. Your baby is hungry"  
"My baby or my brat?"  
"Both?"  
This... was he still asleep? Eren was being affectionate and teasing him like the little shit he was, or had been? Maybe he'd driven himself crazy from trying to control everything he was feeling because of the brat? Four days... than this? It was confusing... but he could never say no to Eren   
"Why don't you go clean up? You stink"  
"I'll clean up, but can you do me a favour first?"  
"I knew all this had to be too good to be true"  
"You're making it hard to ask"  
"Sorry. What is it?"  
"Can you feed? I think I don't feel safe because you don't feed properly and I want to try"  
"I don't think you're ready for that"  
"Don't treat me like that. I want to try this"  
"Out here?"  
"Levi! Please. I want to try"  
"You went from don't touch me, to feed off me. Knowing what it feels like?"  
"Yes. Please. I want to try this"  
Levi felt it was too soon, but didn't want Eren shutting down again...  
"Please. I just want to do something normal"  
"If we do this, you know you're going to be horny"  
"I know..."  
"And if we do this, you need to trust me and trust me not to hurt you"  
"I... I want to trust you"  
"Alright. You go prepare while I get organised"  
"I... um? What?"  
"Go take care of business"  
"What?"  
"Go piss, or shit or whatever you need to do before we start. In case you freak out"  
Eren let out a comical "oh", before following up with a "that makes sense" and climbing from his hold. Groaning to himself, Levi rubbed his face. Couldn't Eren have held off for another few days? Or a week? They'd be at the house by then, somewhere safe... somewhere he could control the situation if Eren ran off.

Despite his hesitation, Levi stripped down to his underwear. Patiently waiting for Eren, he was rewarded when his naked boyfriend reappeared with an adorable blush on his face. Lifting the edge of the blankets for him, Eren practically threw himself under them as soon as he was close enough  
"You're shaking"  
"So are you!"  
Levi snorted, he definitely wasn't shaking   
"If you're nervous, we don't have to do this"  
"Shut up. I want to"  
"Then you need to relax"  
"I'm trying. How come you still have your underwear on?!"  
"I was trying to be responsible"  
"Take them off"  
"What?"  
"Take them off. I'm not being the only naked one here"  
"You're not ready for sex"  
"We don't have to have sex!"  
Levi couldn't help the laugh that escaped, as Eren yelled at him. Huffing, Eren started to crawl away from him  
"Where are you going?"  
"You're not taking this seriously"  
"I'm taking this very seriously"  
"You laughed at me"  
"You were yelling about sex"  
"Because you're an arsehole!"  
Levi was almost certain he was, but not over this   
"Fine. I'm an arsehole. Come back here"  
"You're going to stop laughing at me"  
"I will. As long as you stop overthinking things"  
"I'm not overthinking things. I think I'm thinking just enough"  
"Enough to overthink"  
Crawling back into his arms, Levi brushed Eren's hair away from his face. The brat was filthy. The first thing Eren was doing when they finally reached the house was showering until the water ran clear  
"Where do you want me to feed from?"  
"My wrist..."  
"Your wrist? Eren..."  
"I know. I know... it's just... I don't want to keep associating a touch to my wrist with my hands being cut off... ok?"  
"Lay back for me. I want touch you a little..."  
"Levi..."  
"You need to relax"

Rolling onto his back, Eren propped himself up onto his elbows as Levi tugged his underwear down, before climbing between Eren's legs. The teen's blush had only darkened, much like his now almost purple nipples. Placing his hands on Eren's breasts, he began massaging as he leant in and captured the teen's mouth in a kiss. Eren was still way too tense, but slowly allowed Levi to deepen the kiss. Kissing slowly, Levi rutted up against his omega, enjoying the feel of Eren's forming erection. His boyfriend still wanted him and found him attractive, which was some kind of miracle. Breaking the kiss, he moved to nuzzle at Eren's neck, licking and sucking lightly on the oily left scent gland as his fingers slowly slid from Eren's breasts and down to Eren's swell. Whining, Eren's head lolled back, his throat bare and vulnerable. Rubbing his tongue down Eren's neck, the teen moaned, his hips bucking lightly as his lover's hands moved to caress his stomach  
"Are you ready?"  
"Mmm..."  
Taking Eren's left hand in his, he intertwined their fingers before lifting it to his lips, pressing kisses to each knuckle, before turning to expose the soft inner skin. Dragging his teeth across the flesh, Eren closed his eyes, laying back as he spread his legs further  
"If you need to stop, tell me"  
"I'm ok... keep going"  
Kissing the spot he intended to feed from, he then slowly sank his teeth into Eren's flesh, blood rushing to fill his mouth as they both moaned  
"Fuck... I think I'm going to come"  
"Don't hold back. I want to make you feel good"  
Taking both their erections into his hand, Eren thrust up as Levi fed, the friction feeling amazing after being neglected for so long. Rubbing and rocking, Levi growled with need. He needed to be fucking his lover, instead of just fucking his hand. Pulling his hips back, his dick slipped from Eren's grasp   
"Wrap your legs around me"  
Eager to obey, Eren lifted his hips, allowing Levi to sloppily grind against his groin in some hope of slipping inside his lover's opening. After three very failed efforts, Eren groaned, sliding a hand down to guide him. So much for now sex.

After months of absence, inside his omega felt incredible. Eren was so wet and warm, his heat rippling around Levi as he slowly bottomed out with a long growl. Pausing to let Eren adjust, he waited until Eren began to rock against him before starting to thrust, the teen's heels digging into the small of his back as he slammed in as hard as he could... and as hard as he dared to. Mewing, Eren's free hand abandoned it's grip on his arm, grip the blanket beneath them  
"Harder"  
"Eren..."  
"Please... I need it... I need to come"  
Having already drunk a fair amount of blood, Levi pulled his teeth from Eren's wrist, lapping the few drops that formed as the wound steamed. Once satisfied it was healed, he moved back, taking Eren firmly by the hips so he could watch himself fucking him. Shit. With his wobbling belly, and leaking dick, Eren looked incredible. He wasn't going to last long. Building up a hard rhythm, Eren came hard between, Levi not stopping or pulling out, coming hard enough for the world to momentarily go black as dick swelled and caught, triggering another orgasm for his boyfriend in the process. Gasping for breath, Eren reached from him, so Levi pulled him up and into his lap, loving the way Eren whimpered as the barbs of knot were forced deeper inside, and the way it felt like Eren was trying to drain every drop of cum from his body. Nuzzling his neck, one hand moved to support Eren's head, as the other moved to the small of Eren's back, rubbing small circles in comfort   
"Are you alright?"  
"I... I don't know"  
That wasn't good...  
"Did I hurt you?"  
"No... it felt good"  
"Then what's wrong?"  
"Is it ok for me to be happy?"  
Levi frowned at the quietly asked question   
"What does that mean?"  
"They said I was a monster and all I did was make people scared and angry... they told me I should die and make the world better"  
"They're the ones who should die, not you"  
"I tried to fight... I tried to fight them, but they... they cut me open... I was awake for some of it... the cut off by arms and my legs... my hands and my feet. I kept screaming at them not to"  
"Shhh, you're here and you're with me and I love you"  
"I was so scared! I begged the baby to die!"  
Those fuckers. Once Erwin figured out a way to bring them home safely and make a change, he was going to cull them all  
"You didn't want it to suffer"  
"I didn't want to suffer! I wanted to die! I gave up on us!"  
Rocking his sobbing omega, Levi tried to keep his emotions reined in. It hurt to hear Eren wanted their baby dead, but he was just a brat. A brat who was being tortured and probably didn't even know what he'd been saying... he never would have given up otherwise  
"It hurts and I hate them! They didn't even use drugs when they took the rest of my arms and legs! I was awake and I felt it! My mind wouldn't even let me pass out... they..."  
Eren voice broke as his sentence ended with just shaking his head  
"I'm going to find them and make them pay. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to feel happy and feel loved. You deserve this baby and to watch it grow"  
"What kind of mother begs their baby to die!?"  
"You were in an impossible situation"  
"I begged and I begged... then they said you were gone... they... they kept drugging me. What if they hurt the baby?"  
"If there was something wrong, your body wouldn't have let you carry this far"  
"But the drugs and torture... my head is so fuzzy and when I try to remember, it hurts"  
"Then stop trying"  
"I lost two whole months! Two months I can't get back! It's not fair!"  
"No, it's really not"  
"I just want to be normal"  
"You were never normal"  
"I want to remember..."  
No. Eren really didn't want to remember. He was messed up from what he did remember, which seemed to be more than Levi knew. If Eren continued to remember, his teen would only break further  
"I'm so tired of this"  
"You will get better"  
"I hate doing this to you. I hate that you're not in the Survey Corps any more"  
"It's fine"  
"It's not fine! I hate it! I hate that you're not fighting or having your own life! You get stuck with me!"  
Levi rolled his hips, only to upset Eren more  
"Why can't you take anything seriously!? I don't get it!"  
"I am taking this seriously"  
"No you're not! You're laughing and making fun of me! Because I'm stupid and I'm pregnant and gross! They all laughed at me too!"  
Levi snarled, the hand supporting Eren's head moved to grab him by the chin as he forced Eren to look him in the eye  
"I am not laughing at you. I might not be everything you want in a boyfriend, but I'm fucking trying. I've never done any of this before. So stop thinking so fucking little of me"  
Eren's bottom lip trembled. The kid's face was already a disgusting mess of snot and tears  
"I'm sorry"  
"No. I shouldn't have snapped. Is your back and hips alright?"  
Eren sniffled  
"Y-yeah... it... felt good"  
"It's supposed to feel good"  
"I mean... I didn't think I wanted sex, but I do... sorry. My mind's stupid"  
"I didn't think you were ready to be intimate again. I'm sorry if I went too far"  
"Do you have wax in your ears? I said it felt good"  
"You're the one with wax in your ears"  
"Probably... I don't like touching them"  
"You don't want to touch your own ears?"  
"No... I can't remember if they did anything to them... but I just feel like I shouldn't"  
"Eren, it's your body. You can you touch yourself as much as you like, where you like"  
"Pervert"  
"You know what I mean"  
"You're the one who said it like that"  
"That's besides the point"  
"No... maybe. I'm falling asleep again"  
"You don't want to stay awake?"  
"Honestly. I'm tired all the time"  
"We'll reach the house within the week. You can sleep all you like when we get there"  
"No... I want to shower and to help clean"  
"You're off cleaning duty"  
"You can't do that to me"  
"Instead of cleaning, you're on sleeping and resting"  
"Levi! I'm not an invalid. I can clean and cook and even dress myself"  
"And you can let me actually take care of you for a change"  
"What do you mean for a change?! You always take care of me! You treat me like I'm something special and amazing. I don't understand it"  
"You are special and amazing"  
"No I'm not!"  
"You are to me, and that's the end of it. I think my dick's going down"  
While he was starting to go soft, Eren was still hard. If his boyfriend wanted another round, he wouldn't say no... but Eren also wanted to sleep and sleep should come before sex... with a wriggle of his hips, Eren started to rock against him... which unsurprisingly, led another round, which Eren fell asleep straight after... with Levi still buried inside him. The morning was then spent dozing and cuddling, followed by a slow day of travel, which continued into the night to make up for their slow pace and relaxed morning.

 

*  
During his four days of silence, Eren had a lot of time to think, when he wasn't sleeping and being plagued by nightmares. His dreams had slowly brought up more and more memories of his imprisonment, and the helplessness he'd felt as they'd tortured him over and over. Most of it was still disconnected and jumbled fragments, with his mind happy to supply jumps and links between them, leaving him wondering if any of it was really true. But that was all in the background, with his thoughts continually returning to Levi. His boyfriend was trying so hard for his sake. While he'd been doing nothing. He'd done nothing to improve his situation. He'd had a full fucking breakdown just because someone had fucking sneezed... He needed to get his shit together, and do something other then just sitting around in this half-reality/half-nightmare bubble he'd formed around himself. So. He was going to be normal. He was going to force so much normality down Levi's throat that he was going to forget that Eren wasn't ok, and then he'd worry less and Eren wouldn't have to worry as much about his boyfriend's own mental health.

And then they'd had sex...

And his plans were mixed up all over again. He'd told Levi he wasn't up for it, but the moment he'd been naked against him, lost in a fever of need and pleasure from Levi's fangs... he'd gone back on his word... and fuck it'd felt good. It'd felt so good to be fucked until his arse throbbed and he couldn't form actually thoughts. It wasn't until later that night that he'd felt sick over it all. Like he was intentionally fucking with Levi's feelings. He wasn't trying to, but that's how it felt. His body wasn't listening to his mind and his mind couldn't decided what it wanted or needed. It'd felt so good, and he loved being covered in Levi's scent, but as he laid there with Levi cuddled into him, he wanted to scream and push his boyfriend away. Levi wasn't even holding him all that tightly, his hand was resting on Eren's stomach, while his nose was up against Eren's shoulder, his warm breath tickling the back of his neck, making him feel even fucking guiltier over being so messed up, and strengthening his resolve to act like nothing was wrong. Like he wasn't suffering or scared of almost everything. He wasn't going to let Levi think he was pathetic, or any more pathetic than the man already thought he was. Tomorrow was going to be better... or later today... it was dark and late, how was he supposed to know what day it was anymore?

 

*  
Eren had been sick on the second last day of their trip, so finally arriving at the house that would be their home, was relief. Even if it looked like it'd taken the full force of a hundred angry werewolves. The teen had come down feverish, everything he was eating was just thrown back up, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He didn't seem to be in pain, he just didn't want to be touched or fussed over. Of course Levi had completely ignored this, "mother-henning" him in a manor that Hanji would be proud of. Having kicked the front door in, so he didn't have to place Eren down, he carried him straight through the trashed house and up to the bedroom the teen had used last time. Laying him down gently on the bed, Eren whimpered as he curled in himself, his hands grabbing for the blankets breath him as he tried to pull them over himself without having to move. Taking Eren's head, he angled the teen's face so if the vomited, it'd be across the floor. All the fluids he'd lost couldn't be good for either him or the baby. Pulling the blankets from the rooms small wardrobe, Levi covered Eren with all of them, before kissing his sweaty forehead as the teen's eyes slid closed  
"I'm going to get you some water. You'll be alright. We're safe now"  
Patting his hair, Eren whined softly. That was probably the best he was going to get.

Heading down the kitchen, he found the room a mess. The wind having blown the backdoor in, the room covered in dirt and leaves that his fingers itches to clean. Once Eren's fever was under control, he could finally throw himself into some normalcy. He could clean away his thoughts, and frustrations. Before Eren had come down sick, something had been off with his brat. It honestly felt like Eren was trying too hard. He seemed too ok. He wasn't exactly as talkative as he used to be, but he'd lean back into Levi's arms and point out shapes and figures clouds looked like as they rode. He was much more cuddly when waking up, he'd whine if he didn't let Eren help pack up, and he'd get all huffy if Levi slowed down because riding was starting to make the teen feel sick. It wasn't a whole lot of evidence to prove something was wrong, but it was enough for a gut feeling to form. 

Sighing to himself, walked over to the kitchen sink, turning the taps on to full, until the water finally ran clear. Rinsing a glass, he filled it with water he drained it dry, there was a slight metallic taste, but nothing chemically or like poison, meaning it was safe for his brat. Pouring a second glass, he headed back up to Eren, his boyfriend hadn't moved   
"Eren, I got you water. Do you think you can sit up"  
Waving an arm, Eren let it flop back the bed with a groan   
"Come on brat, it's just water. Once things are cleaned up, I'll look for some medicine or herbs we can use for that fever of yours"  
"'m fine"  
"You're about as fine, as this place is clean. The only reason you're not in the shower right now is because I know for a fact there's no hot water. Now sit up"  
Eren groaned, mumbling something as he propped himself up  
"Brat"  
"Too cold"  
"Fine. Just don't spill this over yourself"  
Squatting down, Levi pressed the glass into Eren's hand, his own wrapping around it for support  
"It's safe. I've already tested it"  
Sipping, Eren wrinkled his nose. The teen took half a dozen small slow slips before shaking his head  
"No more"  
"Eren, you need to finish it"  
"I'm going to be sick if I do"  
"Alright. I'll leave it on the floor beside you. This place is fucking filthy"  
Eren gave him a soft smile  
"Go clean"  
"Will you be alright?"  
"I wouldn't dream of keeping you from cleaning"  
"Brat"  
Settling himself back down, Eren pursed his lips. Snoring, Levi gave him the kiss he wanted  
"Try not to get into trouble"  
"I'm already sleeping"

Returning back to their horse, Levi unloaded the poor mare, dropping all their belongings on the front step of their home before unsaddling her and leading over to the pen they'd knocked up with the rest of his team when they'd come here the first time. Head butting him back towards the gate, Levi scratched the mare's soft nose before nodding  
"Thanks girl. You get to take it easy now"  
His mate huffed, head butting him again  
"I'm going, already"  
His shitty brat had rubbed off on him. He'd never really thanked a horse before, but she'd been through a lot and deserved a rest just as much as he and Eren did. Fixing the gate latch firmly in place, he sighed as he looked to the house that was now their home. It was going to take a lot to get back up to standard, but Eren wanted to be here and what his precious brat wanted, he got.

It took all day to get the kitchen looking vaguely respectable. The door was broken, so he'd have to take a look at it in the morning, but for now a chair under the doorknob was sufficient enough to stop it blowing back open. As tired as he was, cleaning had made him feel normal, and like he was providing for Eren. The happiness he felt bled into their evening meal, a simple vegetable soup with bread. Eren really needed the sustenance, and soup had seemed like the easiest thing for the teen to eat. He was just starting to serve dinner when the teen in question came stumbling through the kitchen door. Dropping the label back into the pot, Levi rushed to Eren's side, slipping an arm around his waist as he supported him over to the nearest dining chair   
"You're supposed to be resting"  
"I got lonely"  
How could he be mad at that? Sighing, he tried not to let the warmth he felt show  
"You're still sick"  
"But now I'm sick down here with you. You're not feeling sick, are you?"  
"No. I'm fine. What about you?"  
Placing his hand on the teen's forehead, it felt warm to his touch  
"I'm alright..."  
"You're still feverish"  
"I'll be ok. I'm not as dizzy now"  
"I lit the fire under the water tank, you'll be able to have a hot bath after dinner"  
"That sounds so good"  
Dropping a kiss on Eren's oily hair, Levi wrinkled his nose at the remaining oil on his lips. They definitely needed to do something about that. Levi walked back over to the pot of soup  
"I made soup. How much do you think you can eat?"  
"Just a little bit. My stomach's still queasy, and your kids booting my ribs"  
"I'm sorry. I don't know much about pregnancy, so I don't know how to help"  
"You're doing great... I know this little one loves you"  
"You can't know that. They haven't been born yet"  
"They always start moving more when they hear your voice..."  
Damn brat. He had no idea how happy all this sappy shit made him. Taking one of the fresh rolls he'd baked, and a half bowl of soup over to Eren, he placed it down gently, before returning to the pot of soup   
"Kust take it slow and don't forget to blow on it, it's still hot"  
"Hot stuff's hot? I never would have guessed"  
"Shitty brat"  
"I try. So... tell me what you got up today. I feel bad you were alone"  
Serving his own dinner, Levi joined Eren at the table  
"Cleaning. The door's broken, so I'll need to take a look at it"  
"Broken?"  
"Yeah. It's fine. I'll take care of it"  
"Can I help?"  
"All you need to focus on is getting better"  
"I'm sick of it"  
"You can't rush these things"  
"I'm still sick of it. I want to do things and help"  
"You collapsed and you've been in and out of consciousness for the last two days. You need to rest"  
"I did rest"  
"Eren..."  
"Whatever. It's fine. I'll do what you say"  
So much for having a nice dinner... instead the silence between them felt heavy and awkward, with Eren barely eating any of his soup, though he did finish his bread  
"If you're done, why don't you take a shower? I'll be up once I've taken care of all of this"  
"Yeah. Sure. Is there soap in the bathroom?"  
"Our bags are in the living room. Don't worry if you make a mess, we need to empty them out and sort them"  
"I'm not going to make a mess. Stop underestimating me"  
Biting his tongue, he let Eren sulk off from the kitchen. He wasn't trying to treat him like he couldn't do anything. He was just worried...

With Eren taking a shower, Levi never thought he'd hear his brat screaming. He'd barely placed the dishes in the sink, when a terrified scream cut through the silence of the night. Running up the stairs, he was relieved that Eren had at least left the bathroom door open. Moving to his boyfriends side, Eren was trying to escape the bathtub, his legs kicking at the small amount of water in the bottom of the tub. He hadn't thought about the fact the shower head was located over the bathtub, he'd just thought Eren would have a nice peaceful shower, then maybe feel better for being clean  
"Eren..."  
Reaching out for him, his boyfriend was in hysterics, and he couldn't understand why. Gathering him up, Levi pulled him over the edge of the bath, soaking himself in the process  
"Hey, Eren. Come on. Calm down"  
Peering over Eren's shoulder, he tried to piece the pieces of the puzzle together. If Eren was kicking at the water... did he not like it being in the bottom of the tub? Or was it the filth in the water? The plug hole was blocked with filth washed from the teen... was that it? The mess had blocked the plug and Eren had panicked over the rising water? There was barely an inch in the tub... but if this was a panic attack, it was something he couldn't actually control. In his arms, Eren shuddered, before passing out. Great... it wasn't like he hadn't cleaned Eren up before, but he couldn't be there every time the teen wanted to take a shower, and Eren would hate the fact another piece of his independence had been fucked up by those Government fuckers. He didn't need Eren falling into even more of a flunk or getting more strange ideas in his head. Lifting Eren back into the tub, he flinched away from the still running water. Fuck it. Levi was soaked anyway.

Eren came too just as Levi had finished washing his hair. The teen immediately attempting to escape the warm water as he fought Levi's hold. Bubbles and water were sent sloshing across the floor, Eren's hand smacking him hard enough in the eye that he growled on instinct  
"Eren! Stop it!"  
Wrapping an arm around Eren's waist, he slid around the teen and pulled his kneeling figure into a form hold  
"Eren. It's ok! You're ok"  
Despite being in his human form, Eren sank his teeth into Levi's shoulder  
"Brat. That's enough. It's just a shower"  
Rubbing his back, he gradually brought Eren back to reality. Eren releasing his hold with a groan  
"Eren?"  
"I freaked out, didn't I?"  
His brat sounded exhausted   
"Yeah. But it's fine. I needed a bath and the floor needed a wash"  
"Fuck"  
"Maybe another time. For now, back to bed"  
"'m sorry"  
"It's fine. You're finally clean"  
"'t feels good"  
"That's what I like to hear"  
"I don't think I like water anymore"  
"I hadn't noticed"  
"I can't do this"  
He had no idea what Eren meant, but his boyfriend was clean from top to bottom, with not a single trace of filth remaining  
"Let's get you to bed"  
"'k. Levi, I don't feel good"  
That was all the warning he got before Eren threw up over both of them... and Levi was right back at square one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dances around the room! No more travelling!


	46. Chapter 46

Eren had a cold, and Levi was acting like it was the end of the world. Sure, he might be a little sick, but that didn't mean he should be confined to his bedroom all damn day and night. And sure, he might get dizzy every time he stood, or peed himself slightly each time he coughed, but he was perfectly capable of doing... stuff. He didn't know what stuff, but he was sure he could do it, or do something other than just laying in bed getting fatter. Getting up made him feel like he was accomplishing something, the fresh air through the window made the whole room feel bigger and brighter, yet every time Levi came into check on him, he insisted on closing the window. Then he'd have to get back up, and open it, wait another hour for Levi to come back, huff, shut it and lock it, then have a fight over how the fresh air was cold and he was sick. He liked the fresh air. He liked the smell of the outside world. He liked knowing nothing was approaching their house, and after being held underground, he wasn't ready to give up the outside world now that he was back in it. Rolling over on his bed, Eren rubbed at his itchy stomach. The baby didn't seem to like the fact he was disturbing its rest with all his coughing, taking its anger out on his ribs until he was sure it'd managed to break one. Which he'd definitely not told Levi about... closing his eyes, he tried to forget the outside world. mind drift. He was bored. Completely and totally bored. So bored that he knew the roof was 27 boards wide. He could take a shower, but apparently his body freaked out in running water. Levi had washed him when he was a wolf, but nooooo, his human body didn't like water. He could climb out onto the tiny ledge outside the window, but he'd risk the baby if he fell. It was fucked. He was fucked and frustrated as hell. Hearing the wooden door outside his room creak, he looked to the window longingly.

"Eren. What have I told you about leaving the window open?"  
Rolling his eyes, Eren pushed himself up  
"To leave it open during the day and close it at night"  
"The wind's too cold for it to be left open"  
"It feels nice"  
"It's not good for you"  
"No, you're not good for me!"  
Levi slammed the window closed, turning to face him a raised eyebrow   
"What was that?"  
He hadn't actually meant to say it like that...  
"I just... I want the window open"  
"You've got a cold"  
"And I'm going to survive"  
"You're sick and pregnant"  
"Geez! Thanks, I hadn't fucking noticed. I thought you'd just filled me up too much with your shitty cum!"  
"Eren, I'm trying to be serious here"  
"I am too! I know I'm pregnant... and I know I'm fucking sick, but you're suffocating me!"  
His argument could have done without the coughing fit in the middle of it  
"I'm trying to help you get better!"  
"By locking me in my room, and closing the fucking window. You won't let me out in the sun. Noooo. The sun is bad! The wind is bad! The windows have to stay fucking closed! I'm sick of it!"  
"This coming from the guy who's scared of running water?"  
"Fuck you!"  
"Not like that you're not"  
"You make me so mad! I don't know what to do anymore! What do you want from me!? I've gone from being there prisoner to yours and you won't even let me feed you properly!"  
"Because you're sick!"  
"I'm sick of being stuck in here! I just want one fucking window open!"  
Coughing, Eren winced as his crotch was covered in a wet warmth. Great. Just great. Now he needed to shower, and Levi was too angry to help him out. Whatever. He didn't need him  
"I'm trying my hardest here! The least you could do is try to get better too!"  
"Maybe if you left the window open, the germs wouldn't stay in the room!"  
"Maybe if the wind wasn't so cold, the window could stay open!"  
"It feels nice! It's stuffy and stinks like sickness in here!"  
"Just leave the window closed!"  
"You're not listening to me!"  
"I'll listen to you when you stop being stupid!"  
"So I'm stupid?! Fuck you!"  
Climbing out of his bed, Eren grabbed the side table as he started coughing again   
"Now what are you doing?!"  
"Going to the bathroom"  
"You're supposed to be resting!"  
"Well, what do you want me to say? That I wet the fucking bed?! Fine. With all this weight on my bladder, I peed. So go ahead and tell me I'm fucking stupid for that too!"  
Eren's cheeks burnt red from embarrassment, though if anyone asked, he was definitely going to blame it on fever  
"Eren..."  
Levi's tone had lost its anger, making him feel shitter because the man was now pitying him  
"Just back the fuck off! Stop coming and checking in on me every fucking hour. You've got enough blood to leave me the fuck alone. I should know. You wouldn't even let me feed you, noooo, I had to bleed into those vials because you don't want to touch me. It's because I'm fat, isn't it?! I'm fat because you knocked me up! This baby is your fault! You and your wonder dick!"  
"Wha... hang on, what?"  
"I don't know anymore. Just leave me alone"  
Shuffling towards the door, Eren had no idea what was coming out it his mouth. He was pissed enough, then Levi started laughing. None of this was funny. Levi could eat a dick and choke  
"Eren, I'm sorry. Just keep the window closed, ok? It's not just cold wind out there. We still have to worry about werewolves, and potential hunters, and wild animals... I don't want you injured. I'll clean up your room"  
Whatever. He was still mad, and he wasn't talking to Levi until he'd either apologised, or Eren forgot he wasn't talking to him. Either way, it wasn't happening in the immediate future.

 

*  
Watching Eren leave, Levi wondered if it was bad he was slightly turned on. It was Eren's second week of being sick. His love was exhausted, and all he wanted was for him to hurry up and get better. So why couldn't Eren just leave the window down? There was a cold bite to the wind, while dark storm clouds had formed to the south of where they were. If it started raining, there was going to been enough rain coming through the roof, they didn't need it coming through the windows too. Frowning back at the shitty thing, he glared at the grimy glass  
"You fucking got me in trouble with him, again. It's bad enough he doesn't want me sharing a room with him. You know, I went to all that fucking effort to bring him back, and now he's yelling at me like I planned to get him pregnant"  
His words sounded just as pathetic as Eren's temper tantrum had been, though it'd also been rather cute... minus the coughing. His brats stomach was well and truly swollen now, each time he yelled or cursed or sneezed, the whole bump would move, which was completely adorabe. If Eren would let him, he'd crawl between the brats legs and worship his soft body until neither of them could move... but Eren didn't want that. He wouldn't even let Levi feed, properly. They'd had ground and rutted against each other as he'd fed, then Eren had had such a severe coughing fit that he'd passed out. So, for now, he'd asked if he could simply fill he vials, so as to not strain his pregnant omega's body. Eren hadn't even complained about it. No. It took an argument over the shitty window for his boyfriend to finally lose his cool, and spill his feelings in a jumbled mess. He really needed to make up with Eren. And perhaps he could compromise. Instead of having the window full open, maybe open just enough to let some fresh air in? He didn't want Eren to feel trapped or suffocated... but Eren also didn't seem to realise how weird it was that he actually had a proper cold. As far as Levi knew, his body would take care of things like this and any symptoms would surely pass. In a way, it felt almost too normal and too human for his boyfriend to be sick like this. With annoyed sigh, Levi unlocked the window and slid up slightly, perhaps an inch or so, chocking the top of it so it wouldn't open any wider, before giving it another glare. This was his first and final offer and if the window didn't like to stay like that, then Eren would go without. Now he had to go and swallow his pride, and facing his raging, emotional and hormonal brat.

With a light knock on the bathroom door, Levi let himself in. The room stank of Eren's upset, the oily scent sticking to his tongue as he looked to the teen. Kneeling beside the bath, Eren was wheezing as he scrubbed at his dirty clothes, the brat trying to both cough and cry at the same time. It physically hurt to see him like that, and to know he'd pushed him too far. Sighing, Levi padded softly over to his side, before squatting down pulling the teen into his arms  
"Come on brat, leave it for later"  
"I'm not talking to you"  
Trying work around the fact Levi's arms were essentially pinning his down, Eren growled when he couldn't reach the bar of soap that had slipped towards the far end of the tub  
"The clothes can wait"  
"No they can't. Get off me"  
"They can. You're a mess. Let's get you cleaned up, then I'll do your room"  
"Get off me! I need to do this"  
"It's fine, you need to sit and try to catch your breath"  
"It's not fine! It's dirty! I have to clean them"  
"Eren, cleaning can wait"  
"No it can't! It has to be clean..."  
Coughing hard, his boyfriend lost his balance reaching for the soap. Pulling him backwards towards him, Levi ended up with Eren sitting on his legs  
"Why can't you just leave me alone?"  
"You were just yelling at me for leaving you alone, and yelling at me for smothering you. How am I supposed to understand?"  
"You are smothering me. I want to do things for myself"  
"And you can. And you will. Once we get you past this cold"  
"Then something else will happen"  
"It's not always going to be like this"  
"How do you know?"  
Eren's eyes were puffy and red as he turned to look at him, the light not at all Eren's usual bright spark  
"Because I do"  
"I don't want to talk about it"  
"Will you let me clean you up?"  
"So you can laugh at me?"  
"I'm not laughing at you"  
"You just did"  
"Do you even know what you said?"  
Eren shook his head  
"I can't remember"  
"Let's just say your argument made no sense at all, but you did tell me how lonely you were"  
"That's because there's a difference between yelling at me over the window and spending time with me"  
"I'm with you now..."  
"Because I'm pathetic"  
"You're not pathetic"  
"I am. And I don't want to talk anymore. I feel sick and I'm mad at you"  
"You're still talking to me"  
"I forgot to not reply"  
"Hey Eren. I do love you. I probably worry too much, but you mean a shit load to me"  
Eren coughed, Levi pants growing wetter. It must really suck for his brat to feel like he had no control over his body again  
"Sit in the tub, I'll help you get cleaned up, then you can come into my room"  
Levi took Eren's lack of reply to mean he nodded as just too exhausted. With a few careful movement, he moved Eren into the bath tub. Turning the taps higher, he left the water running instead of inserting the plug, making sure to keep his right hand on the small of Eren's back so his brat didn't suddenly think he was just going to leave him stuck in the bath. He'd been trying to avoid bringing up Eren's imprisonment, as it'd already over a month since his boyfriend had woken. Part of it was because he felt like he'd missed his opportunity to bring it up, but another part was him selfishly not wanting Eren to relive those memories. His nightmares were bad enough... and the few things Eren had told him made him murderous. Why didn't Eren understand how scared this whole situation had him? It was just him and Eren. He had no major medical training, and no experience with a pregnant shifter. He could only do what he knew, and he was trying. Levi knew he could be read as cold and uncaring, but Eren was supposed to know better. He was supposed to know him better than that...

When his brat was clean Levi lifted him from the bathtub, Eren letting out a soft hum he nuzzled into his neck. How could someone this beautiful be such a shit? Pausing to grab Eren's towel from the rack, Levi carried him to his room, sitting the teen on the edge of the bed, before kneeling in front of him. Starting with his face, he slowly dried Eren down, making sure to shower Eren with attention to make up for their small fight. Once dry, Levi rose on his knees, resting his head on Eren's stomach as Eren moved his left hand to rest on Levi's hair  
"You're an arsehole, but I love you"  
"And you're a frustrating little shit, but I love you too"  
"Don't swear so close to the baby"  
"I love them too"  
Nuzzling into the bump, Levi sighed to himself. He could feel the baby moving sluggishly, probably trying to sleep after Eren's episode in the bathroom. Rubbing one hand across the swell, he sighed again  
"Is everything ok?"  
"Mmm. Yeah. Let's get you into bed"  
"Can you stay? I'm still mad, but I want your smell"  
"Just my smell?"  
"Don't push it"  
"Alright. I just need to clean up, then I'll stay"  
"I might fall asleep"  
"I'll still stay"  
Letting Eren climb back and position himself, he kissed his boyfriend's forehead, before moving to position the towel between Eren's legs to catch his leaking slick, and any other accidents he might have. 

By the time he'd cleaned himself, and hung their washed clothes on the line, Eren was snoring nasally at a level which rivalled Shitty Glasses snores. With him dead to the world, Levi left him sleeping alone for a little longer so he could clean the brat's room... in which he found a whole hoard of stolen clothes. Instead of having a pillow inside his pillow case, Eren had stuffed the things he'd pilfered from Levi's wardrobe. He couldn't help but find it sweet, and annoying as hell. He'd told himself stuff was missing, but as it was just him and Eren, he'd also told himself that he was hallucinating it all. He just hadn't bought as many things for himself as he had for Eren... that didn't seem the case. All of his stash would need to be washed, as would the teen's second stash... of dirty sheets from under Eren's bed. He couldn't help but groan at the thick scent of slick rolling off the fabric, and be grateful that they weren't piss soaked. Leaving Eren's bed to air, Levi threw the lot into the bathtub to be washed once Eren had rested, because, after all, he'd told his boyfriend he'd be with him... even if he hated having to climb into bed and "rest" while there was a perfectly good pile of washing in the next room, needing to be done. 

 

*  
Levi managed to keep Eren alive during his cold, make up with his brat and convince him that they should just share a room. With his cold out the way, Eren was attempting to work back up to being physically intimate, by clinging... and clinging... without sex. He'd freaked when Levi had rolled him back, and placed a hand on his wrist without thinking. Despite insisting he wanted to continue, the teen went soft and his fear did nothing for him. So they'd cuddled while Levi fed, and Eren fell asleep.

For the last week, Eren wouldn't rest in living room while Levi took care of the daily chores, including a potato patch he was rather fond of. Waddling around behind him, Eren didn't let him out of his sight, leaving Levi wondering if Eren was attempting to "suffocate" him the same way he'd "suffocated" Eren. He definitely preferred a cuddly Eren, rather than a mad, sick or crying Eren, but he'd had to scold his boyfriend and send him to bed when he started falling asleep at the dining table during lunch. With a precious hour to himself, Levi was scrubbing the living room floor free of the mad Eren had tracked in. At least he'd gotten him back into his boots. 

Hearing the floor creak, Levi raised his head, watching Eren appear at the top stairs. He'd only just sent him to bed  
"Eren?"  
"Something's coming"  
"What do you something's coming?"  
Armed with a rifle, from the supplies initially left there, Eren shuffled down the stairs, looking like he actually believed Levi would let him out like that. Dropping the scrubbing brush, Levi wiped his hands dry as he walked over to his boyfriend  
"Give me the damn gun, then go back upstairs"  
"What? No. I smelt them"  
"You can't call dibs on a potential enemy attack"  
"But... it smelt like human blood"  
"Then I'll go investigate. And how do you know somethings coming?"  
"I was airing out the other room"  
"You were supposed to be sleeping"  
"I was going to, then I remembered it was sunny outside, so I thought I'd open the window, then go to bed"  
"Of course you did. Just go back upstairs and wait for me. I'll deal with this"  
"I don't want you going alone"  
"I'll be fine. Unlike you, I've kept up my training"  
"That doesn't mean anything. You don't know who they are, or what they want..."  
"I know you're worried. But it's not safe for you to be down here. Head up to our room and shut the door"  
"Levi..."  
Leaning in, Levi kissed Eren gently   
"I'll be fine. Now go"  
Grumbling, Eren turned back up the stairs, his finger tips ghosting over his lips like it was their first kiss or something.

Levi didn't even need to hunt down the unwanted company, because the unwanted company came straight to them, two soldiers wearing Survey Corp capes, dragged a third right into the living area. Levi was just about to shoot them, before remembering the was supposed to double as an emergency supply base. The shitty trio ruining all his scrubbing with their shitty blood and mud  
"C-Captain Levi, sir!"  
Squeaking his name, one of the supporting soldiers nearly dropped his friend as he snapped into salute  
"What happened?"  
"Oh... we were scouting and were attacked by wolves. Luke to the brunt of it, trying to help us escape"  
Luke looked dead, and he stank like it too. He couldn't let them up to the second floor, not with Eren up there...  
"What happened to your Squad Leader?"  
"Ness... he didn't make it"  
Levi couldn't remember Ness, maybe if he'd seen the man's face it would have jogged something  
"Get him onto the kitchen table, and take those shitty boots off"  
Pointing towards the kitchen door, the trio moved past him.

Laying Luke on the table, Levi watched as the man he'd been talking to tried to stop the guy from bleeding out. The teeth of the werewolf had torn his uniform, while crushing his hip. If Luke did survive, he'd probably never walk again  
"We need to do something! We need supplies! There are still supplies here, aren't there?"  
"How the fuck should I know man?! No one said Captain Levi was gonna be here!"  
"I was asking him!"  
"Let me take a look at him... and you, what's your name?"  
Keeping the gun by his side, Levi walked over to Luke's side  
"I'm Gordon, he's Henning"  
"Well Gordon and Henning, get his boots off and get your boots off. This might be the operating table, but it's the place we eat fucking dinner"  
Both men scowled, irritating him further. Luke's blood stank. He couldn't find anything in its scent that he'd call appealing. Even if he was starving, he'd rather starve than taste it  
"Move it!"  
Pulling Luke's shirt up, he sighed. They were going to need to cauterise the wound, and he had no idea how Eren was going to take listening to another person's screams  
"Henning, firewood. Gordon, move his clothes out the way, and find a gag. I'll get the supplies"  
Both men paused in their duty to remove Luke's boots  
"Did I tell you to stop!? Make sure he doesn't die"  
The last thing needed was a fucking shitty ghost. The thought had literally just entered his mind when howls came from outside. The fucking trio of morons had brought the wolves to their front fucking door   
"You two, guard the doors"  
"But... we..."  
"You brought them with you, now I need to clean up this fucking mess!"

Rushing upstairs, the whole house seemed to shake as something smashed into it. Emerging from their room, Eren rubbed at his eyes  
"What's happening?"  
"Nothing good. We've got a guy bleeding out and a horde of werewolves right outside"  
"What can I go?! What do you need?"  
"You to stay up here"  
"Levi, I can help"  
"I don't know them, and I don't trust them. Stay here and stay safe"  
"Levi!"  
"Shut up before they hear you. I need my gear"  
"You can't tell me to just stay put!"  
The house quaked again   
"The house can't take this. Get in there and get ready to run if this all goes to shit!"

Retrieving his gear and medication from the supply room, Levi rushed back down the stairs. Jogging into the kitchen, he found Henning smacking at the face of a werewolf like he'd never held a blade in his life  
"Stop that! Here, dope him up. We'll cauterise the wound if he lives! Gordon!"  
Gordon appeared from the living room  
"Sir!"  
"We need to lure them from the house. Henning is useless and you're probably useless, but less though, because you're not actually smacking a wolf in the face"  
Dropping the medical supplies, Henning rushed to pick them up, like there weren't fucking werewolves outside. Sina. Eren was pregnant and he was more useful than these two put together!  
"Gordon, answer me honestly. Are you going to slow me down?"  
"I... no, sir"  
"Good. That's the right answer. Once we get outside, I'm not going to have time to babysit you"  
"Don't worry about me"  
"Just don't die"

Henning had managed to draw the attention of the small pack of werewolves to the back of the house. Despite the pack being compromised of 5 shitty monsters, two were medium sized, while one vied for being the biggest werewolf he'd even seen. Shooting his anchors, Levi landed on the roof with a thud, surprised it actually held under his weight. He needed to get the bigger wolf away from the house, as it was the one doing the most damage each time its body clipped the building. Eren would probably be pissed, but Levi fired his anchors again, landing on the face of the snapping beast. Clumsily it brought its clawed hands up, smacking its self in the face, as Levi leapt across to the water tank. Good... he had its attention, now... oh for fucks sake. Gordon had seen the wolf turning, and the shitty idiot had launched himself onto its shoulder, only to be sent flying as its hand grasped his anchor wire. Watching Gordon bounce, Levi snarled at the man's idiocy, before shooting his own anchors back into the beast, this time landing between its ears. If it couldn't see Gordon, it couldn't go after him. Plunging his blade down into its left eye, it howled in agony. The rest of the pack turning to face Levi. Quickly, he pulled his blade free, before firing again, his anchors catching the branch of the tree near the garden. His crop would be ruined by the shitty wolves, but at least he'd get them away from Eren. Watching as the tallest wolf swayed, it slammed its hand down on to one of the shorter wolves, who snapped at its fingers. Dumb shitty beasts  
"Sir?!"  
"Get over here!"

Firing his anchors, Gordon landed beside him, barely keeping his balance. The man was hunched, and had a nasty gash to his forehead  
"What do we?!"  
"We don't do anything. You stand here and you act like bait!"  
Gordon paled, clearly not keen on this course of action  
"Thanks to you, my plan is fucked. Now stay here"  
Jumping down, Levi darted around the house, before reappearing between the horse pen and the building, firing his right anchor into the wolf's knee, he slashed out with his blades, slicing through the muscle and bone of the right leg with ease. Topping forward, the taller wolf howled furiously, while Levi recoiled his anchor as his feet hit the ground and slid to partial stop. Before he stopped completely, he used his left leg to pivot, the change in momentum not going unnoticed by his body. In his upper left thigh, there was a stretching feeling, followed by a pop that nearly made him scream. Fuck... no. This was not happening. He had to protect Eren. He didn't care about the other three, only his pregnant mate. His Eren. His eyes narrowed as he bared his fangs, the aura around his changing completely as he shot forward. Using his gear to keep himself moving, and ignoring the agony of whatever he'd done to his leg, he kicked off the taller wolf, using his new momentum to bring his blades down into the nape of one of the mediums, bringing down his first kill. That was one less shitty pair of teeth that thought it could dare harm his omega. The word protect seemed to loop in his mind, his anger drawing up strength as he rode the body halfway down, before firing his anchors into the other medium wolf, and slaying it within seconds of the first. Two down. Shooting his anchors into the dirt, he looped himself around, using his wires as a garrotte, choking and cutting deeply into the neck of the tall wolf. He didn't have the power to decapitate it, but it did temporarily immobilise the creature. He was just about to turn, when Gordon flew past him, screaming like an idiot as his blades hit the arm of the small wolf reaching for him  
"Idiot! Aim for the nape!"  
Landing on his feet, he reeled in his anchors, jerked back off them as he flipped his blades and cut through the nape. It wasn't a killing blow, but now that Gordon had decided to once again ruin things, he had to adapt again. He'd just landed when a clawed hand grabbed him, this time he wasn't able to stop his scream as his busted leg was crushed. Snarling and panting, he pushed his blades downwards against fingers. Howling the small wolf dropped him  
"Levi!"  
"That's sir to you. Get the large one, before it regenerates!"  
Firing his anchors before he hit the ground, Levi hit the roof, rolling across its tiles before finally catching ahold of one. His leg was seriously fucked thanks to these three dickheads! Eren was going to fucking freak and he'd be in the shit all over again. He wasn't standing for that. And no way was he letting this trash kill him. Using his blades for support, he rose to his feet. Relieved to see that Gordon had actually managed to fell the tallest wolf. That just left the two angry smaller ones. Right. Two more. 

With a heavy groan, Levi jumped from the roof to the shoulder of the wolf still trying to get into the kitchen. Over its shoulder, he could see Henning still trying to wave history blade in its face like it was actually helping to protect him   
"Either get out here, or save your friend!"  
Landing on the opposite shoulder of the same wolf, Gordon finally grew a pair, the man ruining he moment by again screaming, as he sliced through the nape of the wolf. Grabbing him by the arm, Levi was hurled back up onto the roof he'd just abandoned  
"Levi, sir!"  
"Make sure there are no more in the area. I'll take care of this one"  
"You're hurt"  
"It's nothing. Go!"  
He didn't need some brat who probably couldn't even wipe his own arse to tell him he was hurt. He was Eren's alpha, and he was going to protect his goddamn omega! Running, Gordon shot off towards the woods, while Henning started screaming beneath him. For fucks sake. Couldn't they just give him 5 seconds to breathe? 

Henning suddenly stopped screaming, but the sound was followed by a gunshot. The man must have finally lost it if he truly believed that a gun would stop or a wolf. Hobbling to the edge, Levi looked down. The blast had taken out part of the wolf's muzzle, the wound already looking to be healing. A second shot came and the beast stumbled back, while Levi leapt down, his blades going straight through its nape as they both fell to the ground. About fucking time. The whole battle had probably taken less than 20 minutes, but it felt so much longer. Pushing himself up, he glared at Henning, who immediately dropped the gun  
"Get back inside and save your friend or I will shoot you myself"  
He wouldn't. Purely because of the whole possible ghost factor, but Henning was a bumbling idiot who didn't need to know that. Letting out an "oof" as the body under him disintegrated, Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust at the dirt now covering him. This. This right here, was the perfect excuse to ignore people. Climbing to his feet, his leg threatened to give way. He refused to let it. Not just to protect his own image, but on the off chance there were more werewolves in the area. Hobbling towards the kitchen, he eyed the broken door with annoyance. He'd fixed the shitty thing and now it was fucked. Fucking people!

 

*  
Levi didn't want to worry Eren. He'd stopped outside their bedroom door to let him know the werewolves had been eliminated and that he needed to help out with the injured Luke. He could smell Eren's distress, and hear the teen trying to calm himself back down, so left him to it. Even though he was dying to make sure not a single hair on Eren had been hurt. Swapping his blades and gas over, he limped back down stairs to where Henning was looking lost  
"Move"  
"Sir?"  
"Is he dead?"  
"No sir"  
"Then go get the firewood. Gordon's checking for remaining wolves, and we need that fire in the oven as hot as you can get it"  
"R-right..."  
The man promptly tripped over his own feet and knocked himself out. Maria, remind him why he was doing all this again?!

With Henning laying in the recovery position, Levi was now cleaning the bite marks in preparation for the cauterisation of the deeper wounds. It was all they could really do here. If they had Hanji, she could operate, but this would hold him together long enough to get him back to her. Hearing the front door open, he reached for the gun propped against the table, keeping it raised until Gordon appeared   
"No signs of any more... Henning!"  
"He knocked himself out. Your friend's just about ready to be cauterised. Have you done this before?"  
"No"  
"It fucking stinks and he's going to scream. Find something to gag him with, and you'll need to hold him down. There's three wounds on the front, and one on his back"  
Gordon paled, but nodded  
"Alright, sir..."  
"Wash your hands. Use the soap, then don't touch anything"  
"Yes, sir"

Luke screamed until he finally passed out. The scent of burnt flesh filling the small kitchen was too much Gordon, who ended up vomiting in the kitchen sink. Levi couldn't help but wonder if they'd burnt Eren with hot fire pokers to see if the brat could regenerate through even that. He felt sick. His stomach dropping at the thought of it. Would Eren even tell him if they had? Staggering into the living room, Levi sank down onto the lounge chair with a long groan. His leg throbbing as he tried to find some kind of position to get comfortable, but every move seemed to make it worse. He'd need to feed later. He couldn't risk Henning and Gordon seeing Eren. If they ran their shitty mouths, Eren would wind up in danger all over again, and the pair of them would probably end up dead. Not that he cared or anything.

About half an hour later, The pair joined him in the living area, both plopping down like deflated balloons  
"Is he still alive"  
"Yeah..."  
"That's a good sign. You can stay tonight, but you'll have to leave tomorrow. You should try and find your horses..."  
"We can't leave. Luke isn't stable, and who are you to tell us to go"  
So the little coward had guts?!  
"Henning, that's enough"  
"Is it? Why are you even here? This place is supposed to be for the Survey Corps, which you left!"  
Levi sighed  
"I'm on a mission of my own"  
"To what? Leave humanity to be eaten and attacked?!"  
"Look. You, your friend and your other shitty friend would be dead if someone hadn't been here. Now shut up, you're grating on my nerves!"  
Henning fell into a sulk, while Gordon watched his friend  
"Sir... are you really on a mission?"

Fatigued, and covered by Gordon's voice, Levi missed the signs of Eren descending the stairs. It wasn't until Gordon let out a gasp, that he looked behind him. Eren was bundled up in a blanket, hiding his pregnant form. He didn't need this right now   
"Eren, go back upstairs"  
"You! What are you doing here?!"  
"Levi, what's going on"  
"Eren, go back upstairs"  
"Can I help? You. You smell hurt. What the fuck happened?!"  
"There's a guy half dead on the kitchen table"  
"I'll take a look. Maybe something dad or Hanji taught me might help him"  
Jumping off the lounge, Henning rushed to Eren, grabbing him by the bundled up blanket around his neck  
"Don't you fucking touch him!"  
Snarling, Levi leapt over the sofa, grabbing Henning and hurling him halfway across the room before pulling Eren up to him. His boyfriend was shaking, his eyes wet with unshed tears  
"It's ok. You're ok"  
"I..."  
"Shhhh. You two, stay the fuck away from second floor. Eren, upstairs"  
"But... I could help"  
"Apparently the life of their friend isn't as important as Henning's ego"  
"If he dies..."  
Shaking his head, Eren whimpered, his brat clutch him tighter   
"Too many smells... need yours"  
"Ok. It's ok. I need to check my leg anyway"  
"You stupid arsehole"  
"I know"  
Looping an arm around Eren, they supported each other back up the stairs. 

Moving into their room, Eren shoved him down onto the bed. The teen then moving to fumble with his straps in a rush to get them undone   
"Eren, it's ok"  
"It's not ok. You got hurt!"  
"I just sprained a muscle..."  
"That doesn't make it any better! You can't get hurt! You can't leave me here, while you're hurt!"  
Taking the teen's shaking hands, Levi nodded  
"I know. I just landed wrong"  
"Landing wrong could cost you your life"  
"Hey, no. I just need to feed and I'll be fine"  
... hopefully...  
"Then feed. I need... I need you ok"  
His omega was shaken, not just by his being hurt, but also by being grabbed unexpectedly by Henning. Tugging his hands back, Eren took a shaky breath   
"Levi... how long are they staying?"  
"Overnight. Gordon needs to find their horses, and Luke's not stable enough to move"  
"I don't want to see them. I'll help the hurt guy, but I don't want to see the others"  
"You don't have to. They've got medical supplies, they can fucking organise themselves. Why don't you hop up, and I'll get my straps off?"  
"I don't want to let you go"  
Sitting up, Levi's wince was hidden from Eren by the teen's hair. Wrapping his arms around him, he nuzzled in to Eren's neck  
"I'm fine brat"  
"I heard the scream. It felt like my heart stopped. I don't want to feel like that again"  
"You won't..."

Stripped down naked, Eren was a whimpering mess in his hold. Feeding from the teen's shoulder, Eren was spooned in his arms, moaning and mewing freely as Levi fucked from behind. The teen had tried to pin him down, but didn't have the stamina to ride him, getting huffy while trying to grind against him, but his belly got in the way... according to Eren. Personally, Levi had found his naked lover trying to ride him erotic rather than clumsy, and as long as Eren could see his hands, he didn't seem to mind being taken from behind. He'd already brought his brat to orgasm once, but Eren had begged for more, sliding his right hand down to fondle himself as his left hand kneaded at his left breast. Levi had a feeling it was the teen's way of claiming him, and warning their unexpected guests that Levi belonged to him and him alone. Knowing his omega felt so possessive of him, was just as hot as the sounds of their sex. Pulling his fangs free, Levi's dick finally swelled as he came and filled Eren with his seed. Eren screaming his name obscenely loud as the teen's second orgasm hit, adding to the pool of slick and cum beneath them. It was hot and hard, both left drenched in sweat and panting hard. Gathering Eren closer, he mouthed at the teen's shoulder, praising words falling from his lips between his open mouthed kisses. Fuck. It felt like a life time since Eren had wanted him that badly, and holding his arms nearly had him in tears. He loved his brat so much, but he'd scared the fuck out of him. Purring, Eren took his hand left hand, moving it to his stomach   
"Levi?"  
"I'm here"  
"'k... I'm sleepy"  
"Just rest. No ones getting in, and no one's going to touch you"  
"Don't leave"  
"I'm not going anywhere"  
"'k... do you still love me?"  
"Silly brat, of course I do"  
"'k... love you too"


	47. Chapter 47

Waking up to find their bed devoid of Eren's presence and warmth, Levi forced himself not to panic. They'd both over indulged, Eren demanding all of his attention each time they woke during the night, until they'd both finally fallen asleep feeling as drained and exhausted as if his brat was going through his heat. Gathering a pair of pants off the floor, Levi's hip protested him climbing out of bed more than his feet did at touching the cold floor. It was times like this that he truly felt his age.

Checking Eren's room, he found it empty, as was the supply room, and the bathroom... meaning Eren had to be downstairs. He didn't like the dark jealousy that rose in his gut. His pregnant mate shouldn't be alone in the company of three unknown men. Eren had already been attacked by them once, and while his boyfriend could probably handle them on his own, he was still worried about Henning's clear hatred of Eren.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he sniffled the air cautiously. He couldn't smell blood, nor could he smell any traces of Eren's fear. Walking through to the kitchen, he bit his lip up hide his smile. Eren had Gordon and Henning both sitting at the table, eating quietly. The look on both their faces was priceless, it was as it both of them were afraid to dare speak, for risk of Eren scolding them. At the opposite end Eren was tending to Luke, the man well enough to be sitting up in a dining chair beside the sink. Clearing his throat, Eren shot him a glare, while Gordon and Henning both stared up at him   
"Good morning. I hope you haven't been giving Eren a hard time"  
Opening his mouth, Henning promptly shut it and looked down to his plate. Eren answered with an air of disinterest   
"They were kind enough to scrub the kitchen table clean before breakfast, as well as mopping the floors for us while I took care of Luke. He won't be ready to leave for another two days, so Henning volunteered to help him shower, because this is honestly a mess, while Gordon will help you with the door, the roof and the vegetable patch. Gordon found their horses last night, they're in with your mare now. You'll need to refill the kettle, I used the hot water to brew a herbal tea for Luke"  
"No issues?"  
"I think I made myself clear. And all three will be reporting to Hanji for medical training"  
Henning mumbled under his breath   
"Henning, is there something you wish to say?"  
"No"  
"Good. Alright, you can go ahead and help Luke up to the bathroom. Gordon, there should be spare clothes that fit him in the supply room. It's the one that sticks out awkwardly right at the top of the stairs"  
"But the dishes..."  
"I'll take care of them"

With the help of Gordon and Henning, Luke was supported from the room. Moving the chair Luke had been using back into its place at the dining table, Eren sighed heavily  
"Do I want to know what all that is about?"  
"Don't even go there. How are you? I mean... after last night? I think I went a little crazy"  
Walking over to his brat, he wrapped his arms around him  
"Just a little. You scared me though"  
"Oh. I... I shouldn't have been so pushy"  
"The pushy part was fine, it was you not being in bed. You should have woken me up"  
"I needed the bathroom, and I was hungry. It's a good thing I came down. They'd moved Luke into the living room, and with the fireplace lit, they didn't realise he was burning a fever. I didn't even realise how long I've been down here"  
"And they didn't touch you?"  
"No. Luke was vomiting from his fever, so I used the same herbs Hanji used for mine. I suspect he has severe nerve damage. Anyway... That's why the house got a clean. That and I might have gone scary pregnant on them"  
"As long as you're ok"  
"I am. I can smell and feel you all over me. It's soothing. I had the door behind me, so I could have run"  
"And your hips?"  
"Are just fine. I'm glad you're awake though. I'm exhausted from being bossy"  
"What did you tell them? About the baby?"  
"Nothing. It's not their business. Besides, Henning was crying this morning over Luke. I guess he's keeping his mouth shut because he's embarrassed"  
"You did well. They scared the fuck out of you yesterday, but you were able to stand up for yourself today"  
"It was Luke... and you. Luke needed someone to step up and help him, and I... I didn't have anyone helping me when I was... you help"  
"You're not making sense"  
Eren yawned softly   
"I know. Thank you for putting up with me, and I'm sorry for losing it yesterday. I couldn't calm down with all the smells in the air. Is your hip alright? I can't tell if you smell pained from you hip, or from sex"  
"It's nothing for you to worry about. What can I do to help here?"  
"They're fucking horrible cleaners. I'll wait until they come back down before going back to bed. I don't suppose you thought to strip our bed?"  
"I was worried over you"  
"My big bad alpha vampire, protecting his little wolf like this"  
Levi snorted through his nose. In almost every way, Eren was larger than him  
"I don't like having them here. Not with you pregnant, and with both of us in hiding"  
"I know. I feel like our space has been violated, but we can't turn away people we can help. If we leave them to die, that makes us no better than werewolves"  
"Why don't you sit down while I make some breakfast? I know you're hungry"  
"I already ate two whole loaves of bread, and some of the berries you brought back. With these extra mouths, we're going to have to go hunting"  
"I'll hunt this evening. I've been thinking you need more meat in your diet"  
"I could probably eat a whole deer"  
"Then I'll have to bring home two"  
"You're loving this wilderness thing, aren't you?"  
"Other than the dirt and mess"  
"That can't really be helped... I'm um... I'm proud of you"  
"You're proud of me?"  
"I know how much you hate mess and dirt, and I know my body makes a mess. But you don't even miss a beat. I'm sure you've had to do a lot to survive, like we all have, but I'm proud to call you my alpha, and to be carrying your baby. I just... I don't think I say it enough"  
"You don't have to say it out loud for me to understand"  
"I do. Because I realised if I don't, then you don't know for sure. I... I've been thinking a lot about stuff and what happened. I think I want to tell you more of what I remembered, just not right now"  
"You don't have to tell me"  
"Ok... I think I'm going to have some tea, can you make me some?"  
"Sure. Sit down and relax. Being on your feet for so long probably hurts"  
"It's fine. Now that Luke is lucid and conscious, I'll stay upstairs. I showed him how to mix the herbs for his wounds, and I showed the other two how to apply them. They really shouldn't need my help"  
Something in Eren had changed again during their conversation. His boyfriend pulling away from his hold to sit heavily on the chair Gordon had been using. Placing both hands on his stomach, Eren gave him a thin smile. He'd somehow managed to make a mess of things again, without knowing what he'd done.

 

*  
Eren didn't want to be upset with Levi, but he needed to talk. He'd wanted to tell Levi what he remembered because he needed someone to help him understand it all. He needed someone to explain why they'd done the things they had. Of course they'd wanted to inflict the most fear and suffering on him that they could... but they'd let him keep the baby. They'd fed him. They'd kept him alive... only for it to end with them trying to drown him. It didn't make sense to him. He didn't see why they'd drown him when they could have killed him any other number of ways...

Only... it was just... when he'd reached out and told Levi he wanted to tell him, his boyfriend had completely shut him down. Levi  
had turned around and said he didn't need to tell him. He couldn't understand it. He hadn't meant to hurt Levi, or to grate on the man's nerves... or be too needy. He knew it'd been hectic enough with the werewolves, and then with three soldiers to feed, and a house to repair. He didn't envy Levi's position in all of this. He didn't want to be a burden... so he'd stayed out the way... not wanting to ruin Levi's name further or embarrassed the man with his current situations. He'd helped Luke because he couldn't just ignore the man's suffering and it had felt so good to have some kind of way to finally contribute. He'd shown the others how to help him... and now he had nothing's to do. All he could do was sit on his fat pregnant arse, while everyone else got to do things. It wasn't fair. He could contribute, if Levi would let him... but Levi didn't want him around the three soldiers, so he'd "willingly" shut himself in his room, with Levi being his only contact to the outside world. Not that they really talked. Levi would pull him into his arms, and the next thing he knew they'd be fucking. His needy hormonal emotions relished all of Levi's attention, and he liked knowing he was making his boyfriend feel just as incredibly as he felt at the time, but there were just too many hours in the day. If he napped he just ended up reliving being tortured. If there was any kind of loud noise, or even just the sound of the soldiers using the bathroom, he'd immediately start to panic. It wasn't like he didn't mind the three men, he even got along with Gordon... it was just... he wasn't in a good place mentally and it felt like any progress he'd made was now slipping through his fingers. Levi said it would take time... so after a month and a bit... nearly two, he shouldn't still be such an embarrassing screw up.

 

*  
Penning a letter for Erwin's eyes only, Levi entrusted Gordon with its delivery. The evening before the trio left, he'd sat them down and explained that even knowing they were alive would put the trio into life threatening danger. Scared shitless, Henning had sworn black and blue not to let a soul know. Luke had taken a liking to Eren, so had promised not to tell for Eren's sake. Gordon... Gordon cried. The man thanking him for not killing them, and for fighting along side him during the wolf attack. Levi played his part, swallowing his temper and crassness, purely to get them out the house all that much sooner. He needed to sit down and talk things out with Eren, because Eren wouldn't talk to him about what he was thinking or how he was feeling. He'd even managed to find a deer to kill and butcher, but that hadn't even elicited much of a response other than a quiet "thank you". Not at all the response he'd expected from such hard work. He knew Eren was probably missing being able to be close to him, and was probably struggling with having company, yet even once the three Survey Corps members had left, his brat was still off. 

Levi had wracked his brains and scrubbed until his fingers ached trying to figure out what was wrong with Eren. His brat would talk, but each time it verged approaching his fears or emotions, Eren would change the topic. It wasn't like he was blind. He knew Eren was suffering and overthinking shit, so why couldn't he just open up? Did he not want to be there anymore? Did he not want to be with him? Did he not want the baby? He'd asked all of these, and each time Eren would give him a half smile that never reached his eyes, while telling him nothing was wrong. He hadn't told Eren that he'd written to Erwin. His brat didn't need anything else to worry over... or, at least, that was what he was telling himself. All he'd done was assure them they were fine and that Eren's pregnancy was progressing smoothly, and that the man didn't need to come and check on them. The last bit was mostly just in case Erwin did decide to invite himself down for a visit. It'd been a week since the idiot trio had left, and providing they'd survived, Erwin would have already read his letter. Even with all that had transpired, he hoped that Erwin wouldn't be stupid enough to come to the house, because if he did, he knew Eren would want to leave. His sense of smell had grown so much keener as his pregnancy had progressed, and despite the fact the whole house had been cleaned, the omega would still scrunch his face up when he caught the scent of their visitors.

The awkwardness between them continued. Curled up together on the lounge chair, Levi supposed he consider himself lucky really. His head was in Eren's lap, with his cheek  
against the teen's stomach. He'd tried to ask Eren how he was feeling, but the teen was dozing, so he tried not to take it personally when Eren didn't reply. Reaching up to cup Eren's face, both of them jumped as the front door burst open. Levi hurling himself up and over the chair with a loud snarl, while Eren let out a whimper, immediately moving towards the closest corner as he attempted to hide his pregnant form. Howling with laughter, Hanji walked in and threw her arms around him, not caring how badly she'd just scared Eren   
"Levi! Look at you! This lazing around suits you! Where's my sweetie?"  
Looking to Eren, he found the teen doubled over and nearly hyperventilating. Growling, Levi shoved Hanji off him and rushed to Eren  
"It's alright brat. You're ok. It's only Shitty Glasses"  
Nudging him aside, Hanji placed her hand on Eren's shoulder   
"Deep breaths for me, in and... out... in and... out"  
Eren whined, Hanji wasn't helping the situation   
"Get your hand off him and go wait outside. I need to take him up to our room"  
"But... Eren, it's me. Hanji"  
"He's scent sensitive and you're scaring the shit out of him"  
"I'm sorry Eren. I got too excited. I'll go help Moblit organise the supplies we brought with us"  
They'd only just gotten rid of their visitors, they didn't need more. Ignoring Eren's growling protest, Levi lifted him into his hold  
"You're alright. I'll deal with Hanji, while you calm down"

Laying Eren down in their bed, Eren rolled away from him. His breathing still uneven, and his body language telling him to leave him alone  
"Do you need anything?"  
"No"  
"Eren, I didn't know Hanji was coming. I didn't ask her too..."  
Grabbing his pillow, Eren placed it over his head... well, that was one way to end the conversation  
"Take your time. You don't have to come down if you don't want to. I'm sure Hanji will want to check in with you, and probably give you a general exam to make sure everything is still going smoothly with your pregnancy"  
Lifting the pillow off Eren's face, he kissed his boyfriend's cheek softly. Even if Eren didn't want him, or was still mad at him, he still wanted him to feel loved.

Returning downstairs, he found Hanji and Moblit stacking boxes in the kitchen. For some unknown reason, the pair had left both the back and front doors to the house open. He signed in annoyance  
"What the fuck are you doing here?"  
"I wanted to see you both! It's not the same without you around. And when Erwin told me you were so close, we just had to come see you"  
"You didn't need to come. You scared the fuck out of Eren"  
"Is he alright?"  
"He's in bed hiding. No. You can't go see him"  
"I thought he'd be doing better..."  
"He was. Then those three showed up, and we had a wolf attack. He's been off since then"  
"Maybe he's just sick of you?"  
"You're not funny. You showed up at the worst time possible. Eren's started going backwards with his recovery. He doesn't need the stress or your shitty scents stinking up the place"  
Hanji nodded slowly  
"Look. I know you're mad, but I also brought all your things from the castle. There's still another 9 weeks until Eren is due, and I'm betting you haven't even talked about where the baby is going to sleep when it's born, or what it's going to wear, or what you're going to name them. Maybe that's why Eren is being distant?"  
"I don't think that's it... and you brought all our things?"  
"Maybe not all, but clothes and blankets, and a few of Eren's personal things that survived"  
"That survived?"  
"From when he was being bullied. We brought food too, including tea leaves"  
"Not all tea leaves are the same"  
"I got the same ones Eren bought before. Besides, I know the medical supplies here need topping up and we're only going to be a couple of days"  
Levi sighed again  
"Look. Just try and stay away from Eren"  
"Nope. I've missed him and if he's mad at you, he could probably use a friend"  
"I haven't done anything to make him mad"  
"But he's not ok. Has he talked you about what he went through?"  
"No. I told him he didn't have to tell me. It's clearly still fucking with his head"  
"Levi. Talking isn't one of you strong points. I'll try and get him to open up to me"  
"Stop trying to pin this shit on me and don't you dare push him too far. No needles. No experiments. If he says he's tired, let him rest"  
"Has he been doing much of that?"  
"What?"  
"Resting? How's his pregnancy progressing? Any pain or bleeds?"  
"No. He's been alright. He did have a cold, but he's recovered"  
"A cold?"  
"Yeah. I did think about taking him to you, but it's not safe and he can't stand smells. They completely overwhelmed him and he starts to panic. He doesn't really feel safe when it is just us here"  
"He's probably feeling like his space has been invaded, when all his mind wants is a safe place to give birth. Just because the baby isn't born yet, doesn't mean his maternal instincts are going haywire"  
"Whatever. Just don't upset him"  
"I won't! Moblit will help you put everything away. We all know you have to have things in a certain order"  
"It's not a crime to be clean and organised. You could stand to learn a thing or two"  
"I've missed you so much! Right, I'm going to go apologise to Eren"  
"He's resting"  
"If he's asleep, I'll come right back down"  
"Fine..."  
Hanji smiled widely, a bounce in her step as she left him and Moblit alone in the kitchen to unpack. They did need supplies, but he'd just figured they'd find a way to make do with catching and cooking game, and the vegetables in his small garden. Maybe Hanji showing up wouldn't be as terrible as he though? Though he couldn't deny he was jealous and slightly hurt over the idea of Eren talking to her and not him about what he was going through.

 

*  
Eren was purring softly in an attempt to comfort himself. His heart was still racing from Hanji just barging into their house like that. She didn't even pause to knock, just "bam!" and she was there... while he'd fucking freaked out. He hadn't even smelt her coming. He hadn't even heard anything outside the room. He'd be napping, but his napping... it could have been anyone. It could have been the Government for all he knew... and he hadn't even noticed. He felt stupid! He'd faced fucking werewolves, and now he was scared of humans?! 

With a light knock on the door, Eren caught Hanji's sent just as it opened  
"Eren, its Hanji. Can we talk?"  
Sniffling, Eren didn't want her to see him like this, but he'd acted so stupidly   
"C-come in"  
Closing the door behind her, Hanji walked over the bed, dropping down on the edge   
"I'm sorry for the scare. I've missed you so much, that I got a little over excited"  
Hanji missed him? Why? He wasn't good for anything... tearing up again, he wiped at his face  
"You missed me?"  
"I sure did. It's not the same without you around. Are you ok? You look pretty miserable"  
"I..."  
Reaching up for her, Hanji pulled him into a strong hug. Her scent was filled with all kinds of things, but her warmth felt amazing  
"I think Levi and I are over..."  
"Oh sweetie, what happened? I was just talking with him, and he seemed really concerned about you"  
"All I do is hold him back..."  
"You don't hold him back. You've made him the happiest I've ever seen him"  
"Then why..."  
Eren shook his head. He was telling Hanji way too much   
"Hey. None of that. Talk to me"  
"I don't want to burden you too. How have you been? How's things at the castle? Is everyone alright?"  
"I'm fine. All your friends are fine. Armin and Mikasa miss you like crazy. Luke's improved enough that he's returned home to live with his family, and he was singing your praises"  
"I didn't do much"  
"You saved his life. Henning and Gordon both said the same thing. You should have more faith in your self"  
"How? I'm useless... I can't do anything anymore... Levi does everything"  
"Because he loves you. Have you two been physically intimate?"  
"Wha... yes... but what does that have to do with anything?"  
"Levi's never physically intimate and he wouldn't be if he didn't love you. He's better with actions than with words"  
"He's just putting up with me for the sake of the baby..."  
"Do you really believe that?"  
"I don't know what I believe anymore! He's changed Hanji!"  
"How?"  
"He... he doesn't even sound like himself anymore. He doesn't get angry. He doesn't say "shit" all the time. He doesn't even make his crap jokes anymore. When he wants to talk, it's always about how my day has been. I do anything anymore..."  
"Have you tried to talk to him about it?"  
"I... I wanted to talk about what happened... I need to talk, but he doesn't want to hear it! I told him... I told him I wanted to talk about it, and he told me no... I can't... I can't cope with this!"  
Ugly crying against her shoulder, Hanji rubbed his back gently  
"Levi probably didn't mean it the way it sounded"  
"Then why... why do all we do is have sex?! Why can't I go outside?! Why can't I help him?! Why do I always have to sit and stay out the way or hide?! I'm scared of everything, but nothing's changing! I can't even take a stupid bath. I can't shift. I can't even make him see that I need to talk. I can't... I'm so tired Hanji. So tired of things being like this. I love him... I don't want to keep being a burden"  
"You're not a burden, and I think you and Levi really need to have that talk"  
"He doesn't want to..."  
"Eren, he just told me he does"  
"He told you. He didn't tell me that"  
"He also told me not to upset you or push you. I think he just doesn't want you hurting anymore"  
"That's why I need him to understand"  
"Why don't I try talking to him? Let him know you want to talk?"  
"He... he's supposed to be my boyfriend. I... I should tell him"  
"Moblit and I will be here for a couple of days. We can't stay away for too long or it'll be suspicious, but with the house needing restocking we had the perfect cover. I also want to give you a check up. Make sure you and the baby are doing alright"  
"They're ok... they're always moving. Especially when Levi places his head against my stomach"  
"That would be so sweet. Have you thought of a name yet?"  
"I guess we're waiting to see if they're a boy or a girl... we haven't even talked about it"  
"What do you want?"  
"It to be happy"  
"Other than that..."  
"A boy... girls are scary"  
Hanji laughed, kissing his hair  
"Yes, we are. Now, you should get some sleep. I can tell you're exhausted and it'll take us a while to unload everything. We brought your things from the castle, so that's something to look forward to"  
"Thank you... did you know, Levi caught a deer?"  
"He caught a deer?"  
"I was joking, but he actually did. I was so proud of him, but I didn't tell him. He's wasted being here"  
"He's where he wants to be"  
"I don't know why..."  
"Love. He loooooves you and you looooove him. Now, nap. I don't want to be yelled at for disturbing your rest"  
"I don't want to sleep... I keep reliving what they did"  
"You need the rest. I can brew some herbs to help you sleep? Even if you don't fall asleep, you should try and relax"  
"No... it's too close to what they did"  
"I understand. But I can show you, just in case you change your mind"  
"Thanks Hanji... and thanks for listening"  
"Aw sweetie, you know I'm happy to. I've missed you sooo much. And this belly of yours"  
Eren's laughing snort smeared more snot on Hanji's shirt, but she didn't care. Moving so he could stretch out properly, Hanji patted him on the head, before pulling his blankets up to his shoulders   
"I'll come wake you when dinners ready"  
"Mmm... thanks, Hanji"

 

*  
Whatever Hanji had told his brat, Eren wouldn't look at him during dinner. She wouldn't tell him what Eren had said, saying that Eren wanted to tell himself. That was fine and all, but how were they going to talk if he wouldn't look at him?! Missing his chance at dinner, he'd thought maybe they'd talk that night, but Eren had cleaned up in the bathroom alone, before Hanji had whisked him away for his examination and physical. When Eren had returned, he'd been asleep on his feet, so Levi had dropped it.

Hanji and Moblit made themselves busy the following morning, Eren had slept through breakfast. Hanji had told him to let him sleep, so he had. It didn't feel right not having breakfast with him, and it didn't feel right just leaving Eren upstairs by himself. Cleaning through the house, Levi then found himself sitting in living room, staring at the fire burning in the fireplace. Outside was wet and miserable, or he'd be out there, finding something to distract him from his worry. Maybe he should just go talk to his brat? He wasn't completely inept. It wasn't like he couldn't make the first move... but the thought of Eren's tears hurt. He just wanted him to smile again. He wanted him to laugh or pick a stupid fight... hearing the stairs creaking, he didn't look back to see who it was. It was probably Shitty Glasses, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with her shit.

Padding softly over to him, he barely had a second to realise it was Eren, before Eren was climbing into his lap and hiding his face against his neck   
"Eren?"  
Sniffling, Eren nodded  
"Levi... can we talk?"  
"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"  
"Can we talk about what happened?"  
"About what happened?"  
"To me"  
Levi's heart stopped for a moment. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to that. Letting out a half sob, Eren tried to climb back out of his lap. Levi not letting him  
"Forget it..."  
"No. You just took me by surprise"  
"By surprise? I told you I wanted to talk, and you said I didn't have to tell you. But maybe I needed to tell you! I needed you! I needed you to understand... because I can't work this out and I'm struggling!"  
"I just... are you sure you want to tell me?"  
"This is stupid... I told Hanji you didn't want to listen. I told her you didn't want me anymore, but she said you'd listen if I told you! If you don't care about me then tell me! You're supposed to love me! If I can't tell you... then who?"  
"You think I don't love you?"  
"I've wanted to talk to you about this for weeks! I told you! I told you I wanted to talk, but you don't care..."  
"I didn't want you to feel pressured to talk"  
"It's not pressuring me when I want to tell you! I can't figure this out on my own! I needed to talk!"  
"I fucked up, didn't I?"  
"I just... I just wanted to talk"  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like you couldn't talk to me"  
"Well you did"  
"I know how badly they hurt you... and honestly I didn't want you hurting anymore"  
"I'm hurting because I don't understand!"  
"I'm sorry. I didn't... I mean... I want you talk to me. I want to know how I can help and support you. I love you"  
"So... you'll listen?"  
"I'll listen to whatever you want or need to tell me"  
"Can I stay here?"  
"Stay here? On my lap?"  
"Yeah. I know I'm heavy"  
"You're not heavy, and you don't need to move"  
"Ok"

Eren spilt everything he remembered. Sometimes whispering. Sometimes yelling. Sometimes talking like he'd been watching from the sidelines. The things they'd done to him couldn't even be "excused" as scientific research. They'd intentionally set out to break his omega, while preserving the life of their child for experimentation. Eren begged him to tell him why they'd tried to end it all by drowning him, but he honestly didn't know. He could understand if Kenny had been behind everything from very beginning, but the Government had clearly wanted the baby. Was it because it was his baby? And Eren was his lover? He wouldn't put it past Kenny. It made him wish the man was still in the world so he could decapitate him all over again... except much, much slower. Preferably with Kenny in chains so he could start with his toes and work his way up with a very dull night. As well as every other shitty bit of trash that hurt Eren. He couldn't give his boyfriend the answers he needed. He couldn't tell him why. All he could do was sit there and feel sick, as silent tears rolled down his face for his brat. When they'd cauterised Luke's wounds, he'd hoped Eren hadn't been through the same thing, instead he'd been through so much worse. If they could try it, they did. Even messing with Eren's brain. He was lucky his brat was still his brat and that his brat remembered him. All of it... it was just too much. The pressure of carrying everything on his shoulders... and he'd made him feel like he couldn't tell him. He hated knowing he'd let him down like that. With Eren slumped against him, fine shivers ran through the teen. He wasn't quite awake, but he wasn't sleeping either, his thumb still rubbing small circles on the back of Levi hand. 

Walking down the stairs, Hanji ignored their silence. Planting herself down on the small coffee table, she smiled at the pair of them   
"Did you talk?"  
Eren nosed against his neck, while trying to curl closer to Levi. Levi already pressed back into the lounge as far as he could get, giving them no wriggle room to escape the woman  
"Not now, Hanji"  
"I just wanted to make sure Eren is alright"  
"And now isn't a good time"  
"But you did talk, right?"  
"We're not doing this. Eren, I'm going to carry upstairs. Is that ok?"  
"B-bath?"  
The one word question was barely audible. Nuzzling against Eren neck, Levi whispered back  
"You want to take a bath?"  
"I need... need to"  
"Ok. I've got you. Just hold onto me"  
He knew Eren had had an accident, and while he didn't like them both sitting in his filth. He hadn't wanted to draw attention to it, not when Eren needed to get this off his chest  
"We're going upstairs"  
Repositioning Eren's arms so his boyfriend was holding onto him better, Levi lifted Eren as he rose, carrying his exhausted lover from Hanji's snooping gaze.

In the bathroom Levi sat Eren down on the toilet so he could begin undressing him. Nuzzling and peppering kisses to Eren's lips and cheeks, his boyfriend looked lost. Tugging off Eren's tunic shirt, he kissed his boyfriend lips again  
"I know it hurts, but thank you for telling me"  
"Do you still love me?"  
"Yeah. I do. I love you"  
"Even when I'm scared?"  
"Even when you're scared. I hate seeing you crying. You deserve so much more"  
"I'm so tired"  
"I know you are. Let me put the plug in the bath and get undressed, then I'll help you undress"  
A bath wasn't what he would have expected Eren to want. Especially not a bath with him after such a heavy conversation. Walking over to the bath, he cranked the taps and put the plug in, before stripping his clothes off and dropping them near the sink. Eren hadn't moved it all. He was still sitting there like he didn't have the energy to ever move again. With a shaky breath, Levi returned to his side, helping Eren stand so he could strip off his pants and underwear   
"I'm sorry"  
"It's alright"  
"I feel so stupid"  
Starting to break down again, Levi gathered him back up into his hold  
"You are not stupid. You're strong and you're still here"  
"Am I? I could be dead..."  
"You're not dead. Can you feel my warmth? I can feel yours. I can feel your heart beating and our baby kicking"  
"Levi..."  
Wailing his name, Eren clung. Levi's tears falling once again  
"I've got you. I've got you and they'll never touch you again"  
"I wanted to die"  
"I know. I'm so fucking grateful you didn't. Once the baby is born, I want to leave with you. I want to take you to see the world. I want to see the ocean. I want to see everything with you"  
"I want that too. I want to be with you"  
"You are. I'm here with you. I'm not letting go"

Getting Eren into the bath, Levi had him laying against him as he cleaned the teen down. He couldn't stop touching Eren in an attempt to reassure himself that Eren really was in his arms. Ever few seconds Eren would mumble his name, and every few seconds Levi would reassure him that he was still there. When Eren was finally clean, Levi moved him from the bath and back to the toilet. His boyfriend giving him a small and sleepy smile, as he reached out and wrapped his arms around Levi's waist. Stroking Eren's wet hair, he let Eren cling for as long as he needed... because he needed it too. He needed to feel Eren's arms around him. It was stupid. He'd watched them regrow, but listening to Eren talking about how they'd sliced his fingers off first, before working down and cutting his limbs short without drugs, had stirred up the same emotions the first time Eren had admitted it to him.

From the bathroom they moved to the bedroom, curling up naked under the covers. Eren had his head on his chest, his stomach supported by Levi's stomach and his leg was slung over his hips. It wasn't about sexual intimacy. It was about feeling the comfort and warmth of each other's bodies. To be laying there with nothing between them, and to be able to see that neither of them were physically hurt. With a hand resting on Eren's stomach, Levi couldn't bring himself to sleep. He wanted to be there, and to be awake if Eren needed him. If he a nightmare or was scared. He wanted to be there for when Eren, because he wanted to ask Eren to marry him. He never wanted Eren to feel like he wasn't Levi's entire world.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got some fluff. We got some shit... it all balances out

Eren felt better. Embarrassed, but definitely better. He'd finally been able to tell Levi what he'd needed, and he'd finally gotten some real sleep without being plagued by nightmares. Yawning, Eren looked up to Levi's face, blushing when he realised Levi staring back at him. Ducking his head, he tried to hide his warm face against Levi's chest  
"Hey. How do you feel?"  
"I feel... I feel better..."  
Honesty was the best option. If Levi could listen to everything he could remember and not run, then he wouldn't run from this  
"That's good. Is it too much to ask for a morning kiss?"  
"Morning?"  
"You slept for the last day and a half"  
"I what?"  
"Don't worry. Shitty Glasses and Moblit are still around"  
"No. I just can't believe I slept that long"  
"You needed it"  
"Have you been here the whole time?"  
"Other than bathroom breaks"  
"You didn't have to stay"  
"I wanted to. I didn't want you waking up alone"  
Looking back up to Levi, his boyfriend gave him a small smile. Shimmying up, Eren kissed Levi good morning   
"Thank you"  
"You don't need to thank me"  
"I do"  
"I didn't even realise how I was making you feel"  
"It's ok. We talked and it's ok"  
Kissing Levi again, this one was deeper, and the one after deeper again. Rolling back, Eren pulled Levi with him, snorting when the move failed because of his stomach. Between his legs, he could feel himself starting to slick from the sight of the gorgeous man in front of him  
"Eren?"  
"Please?"  
Reaching out, Levi brushed his hair back behind his ear   
"Are you sure?"  
"I want you"  
Leaning down, Levi kissed him  
"I love you. Let me take care of you"  
Nodding his consent, Eren watched Levi climb between his legs, laughing softly as his alpha directed all his attention to his stomach first. Kissing and nuzzling the well, nipping and sucking small bruises into existence. They never lasted, but he appreciated Levi marking him as his, even if the marks faded. Kissing a trail down to his pubic hair, he jumped when Levi ran his tongue down, then along his shaft. Lapping at the tip, Levi's fingers slid down his inner thighs before his left hand grasped his dick, and his right hand rubbed against his opening. Closing his eyes, he spread his legs wider, moaning as Levi began to rub harder. Taking the tip of his dick into his mouth, Eren's hands grabbed the sheet beneath him as pleasure flooded through him. Mewing, he started rocking his hips, but his stomach made it hard, having slept for so long, his body still felt heavy, his actions clumsy. Groaning as his orgasm began building, he tried to mount Levi's fingers without voicing his need, his boyfriend immediately understood what he needed and obliged, pushing two fingers into his heat, so he was both fucking Levi's fingers and his mouth. Trapped between the two, he wanted more. He wanted to be pinned down and fucked. He wanted Levi in his mouth and he wanted to come  
"L... Levi... need to come"  
Sliding his fingers free, Eren's whine turned to a gasp as Levi thrusted three in. Shamelessly rubbing at his sweet spot, Levi pulled back from his dick, his tongue resting beneath the tip as he jerked him off. Coming with a long moan, he wished he could have seen himself coming down Levi's throat. His lover too such good care of him, making the sexiest expressions, even when Levi was the one showering him with attention. Panting, Eren moved a hand to his stomach, trying to stop his stomach from shaking with each breath   
"Are you alright?"  
"Mmm..."  
"Good. I haven't had nearly enough of you"  
Slipping his fingers from his arse, Levi smirked down at him, sending a fresh shiver of desire up his spine   
"If you don't want..."  
"I do"  
"If..."  
"If I need you to stop, I'll tell you... can we change position?"  
"Let me help you"

Levi took things slow. First mounting him from behind, then pulling him up into his lap. His alpha supporting his stomach as he slowly fucked him. He could feel Levi's love. Each kiss. Each nuzzle. Each whisper of how perfect he was and how beautiful he was. The way his hands never stopped moving across his stomach... he felt amazing... and maybe even a little sexy. Letting his head drop back against Levi's shoulder, his lover's moves became harder as Levi's dick swelled. He loved it when it Levi stretched him to capacity. He loved it when Levi filled him, and the way they were joined together. Moaning, Levi drove up, forcing his swollen erection as deep as he could, Eren's second orgasm hitting as Levi came, and before he could catch his breath, a third orgasm hit. Boneless, his full weight collapsed back against Levi. His mind dopey and soggy from sex, while his heart was racing. A lump in his throat from the emotion he was feeling. Grabbing Levi's hands, he intertwined their fingers, before trying to hide his face against Levi's hair. Waiting a few minutes for their breathing to recover, Levi voice made him jump  
"Brat?"  
"I love you. I love you so much Levi. I love you"  
"I love you too. I've... um... I know I'm not the best at this. But I don't want anyone else"  
"I don't want anyone else either..."  
"I. Shit...  
"Levi, are you alright?"  
Twisting to look at his face, Levi looked constipated. His face was red and he was frowning fiercely   
"Levi?"  
"What do you think about marriage?"  
Eren blinked  
"What do you mean?"  
"Marriage... we should get one"  
Eren's heart started racing all over again. He swallowed hard, trying to move the lump in his throat  
"Hang on. What? You want me to marry you?"  
"Yes"  
"Can we even get married?"  
"I don't know. But we should get it"  
Eren blinked again  
"You're asking me to marry you?"  
"I thought I made it clear"  
Eren couldn't help but laugh. It was an incredibly Levi way to propose  
"Fine. Forget it"  
Huffing, Levi looked away  
"I'm sorry. You took me by surprise"  
"You laughed"  
"You said we should get a marriage"  
"You know what I meant"  
"I do"  
"Did you just..."  
"I did..."  
"And?"  
"And? I'm probably already 17, and I'm having your baby in a few weeks"  
"So?"  
"So we should make this official"  
"We probably can't get married right away. But any high standing military official can legalise the union"  
"I want my friends there"  
"I thought you'd say that"  
"I just want to brag that you're mine"  
"You're such a shitty brat"  
"You can't talk to your fiancé like that"  
"Really. What are you going to do about it?"  
"I don't know, but when I do, you'll be the last to know"  
"I don't know if I like the sound of that"  
"I wouldn't take it too far"  
"I know"  
"And I do kind of owe you"  
"You owe me?"  
Eren nodded with a hum, he was liable to fall asleep like this, but wanted to stay awake. He didn't want to fall asleep and find that Levi's proposal was just some kind of dream  
"You found a deer"  
"Oh. That. I didn't think you were too happy"  
"I was proud. And it was kind of hot"  
"Hot?"  
"You providing for me and our baby. I mean. I still have so much I want to do in my lifetime, and I know I'm fat and can't help, so you've been doing everything. But it still makes me feel proud when you do things like that. Or when you fix the house or bring in vegetables you grew yourself"  
"It's nothing to be proud over"  
"But it is. None of it's easy, but you always step up and when you do a job, you do it right"  
"I think you dribbling shit"  
He knew Levi secretly like the praise, but he wasn't good at taking compliments   
"Sure, sure. I know I just woke up, but I'm sleepy again"  
"That's what happens when you come twice"  
"Three times"  
"I made you come three times?"  
His fiancé sounded smug as fuck  
"The third hit halfway through the second"  
"No wonder you look so wrecked"  
"When your dick goes down, I need to use the bathroom. Your baby's pressing on my bladder"  
"I think that can be arranged. You need to eat too"  
"Eating seems like effort"  
"You need to keep your strength up. I thought maybe we could talk about baby names or figure out what we're going to do for clothing and nappies"  
"I want to have that talk with you, so can we wait until I'm more awake?"  
"I think I can manage that"  
"Good... I love you, Levi"  
"I love you, too. The next time I fuck up, I want you tell me right away. I spent days trying to figure out how to talk to you"  
"I recommend using words"  
Growling, Levi softly head butted his cheek   
"I never would have guessed"  
"I know right. Do you want to feed?"  
"No. I'll feed tonight"  
"Ok. If you need blood or get hungry, just tell me"

 

Levi helped him shower and dress. Eren was still buzzing from Levi's proposal, or as buzzing as his fatigued state allowed. Despite the fact they'd fully intended to shower then eat, his alpha hadn't been able to keep his hands to himself, bending him over the bathroom cabinet, before fucking him hard and fast like he needed. While the sex they'd had in bed had been slow and soft, the sex in the bathroom had been hard and almost animalistic. While trying to hold onto the bathroom sink as Levi thoroughly drilled his arse, he'd accidentally broken a tap as he'd come down the front of the cabinet. He'd come so hard that his knees had gone weak, grabbing the tap so he wouldn't fall and pull Levi down with him. When he'd realised what he'd done, he'd flinched in expectation of Levi yelling at him. His fiancé had started laughing instead, kissing his back and promising to take a look at it later. 

The tap incident was the only small blip for the morning. Once finally downstairs, Levi hadn't strayed from his side. His alpha organised their breakfast, the ushered him into living room, where he sat between Levi's legs as they ate breakfast. Once fed, he'd buried his face against Levi's neck and dozed until Hanji and Moblit came back mid-afternoon. Hanji was positively gushing over the small pack of werewolves they'd found... he wasn't sure if three small werewolves really counted as pack, but it'd been kind of funny watching Hanji scold Moblit for killing the werewolves. From the broken blades he'd found in the store room, he had the feeling Levi had run into a few while hunting, so knowing there were less in the area was a huge relief. He was well aware that they'd been truly lucky over the lack of attacks, and didn't want to jinx them by voicing it out loud. Purring softly, he could honestly say he felt happier, and a little more hopeful. That night, the four of them sat up playing cards until he couldn't keep his eyes open, falling asleep in Levi's lap as the game continued. When the game ended, Levi roused him enough to warn him he was going to carry him. Stopping by the bathroom, then carrying him to their room, where his mate fed through another round of sex. Falling asleep in Levi's arms, he felt like this had to be the best day of his life.

 

*  
Wanting to do something with Eren, Levi had woken early. Armed with a pencil and paper, he set himself up in the kitchen, making a list of all their supplies. He knew Eren could do basic cooking, so he was trying to figure out what they could make together. They really needed to try and get back into some kind of routine again, especially when neither of them knew for sure how many more weeks Eren had left before giving birth. Once he had, his fiancé would no doubt be exhausted and needing his help, so they really needed to get on top of all of this now. Scratching out a basic list, he circled apples. They had flour and sugar, as well as fat for frying. They couldn't do cakes or anything too complicated without butter. A cow would have been the prefect gift for Hanji to bring. Or chickens for the eggs. They'd limited the amount of stock being raised within the walls, which never really made sense to him. Werewolves rarely showed that much interest in non-human targets. Sometimes they'd get curious and maul a horse, but that was rare. He knew sheep needed to be shorn, but weren't cows and chickens pretty self reliant? So why didn't they keep more stock between Trost and Shinganshima? And why was he even worrying? It wouldn't change their current situation. Armed with his list, Levi set about making breakfast.

Hanji was the first to appear, throwing herself down into the dining chair with a long groan  
"Levi... I need tea"  
"Good morning, Levi. How are you? I'm fine"  
"Sorry... I didn't get much sleep last night"  
"Do I want to know?"  
"I brought work with me. Moblit tried to stay awake, but passed out a little before dawn"  
"What's so important that it couldn't wait until the morning?"  
"We were thinking of heading back tomorrow, so I wanted to hang out with Eren. It's not the same without him"  
"You survived just fine before he came along"  
"I know. But I miss him. Even experiments haven't been as fun, because he hasn't been there to talk to"  
"Do I want to know?"  
"Nooooo. But you're going to listen anyway. We've got these two small werewolves, and it should be fun... but I feel like I can't learn anything more from them"  
"Shitty Glasses. Your lips are doing the moving"  
"I know! You should be nicer to me. I got Eren talking to you, and don't think I haven't noticed how loved up you've been since"  
"I don't care if you're fishing for answers or not. I'm not telling you about what he went through"  
"I didn't ask"  
"No. I unfortunately know you too well"  
"Fine. At least tell me he got some of the answers he wanted"  
Levi sighed, Hanji propping herself up as she leant in to stare at him  
"You didn't give him answers?"  
"I couldn't give him the answer he needed the most"  
"Which was?"  
"The same thing we were asking ourselves after we saved him. They went to all that effort of keeping him alive, only for them to try and drown both him and our baby. They used a feeding tube to make sure he ate. And they kept the baby alive, only to abandon both of them"  
"Do you think Kenny was involved? What did Eren say about him?"  
"Eren and I haven't talked about him"  
"But..."  
"Drop it. He's dead and Eren is alive. That's all that matters"  
"I know... do you think he just took Eren? Was he trying to get at you"  
"That's the gist of what he said, but Eren's a high profile target. Even if he was the Governments lap dog. It doesn't explain why they gave up on Eren. They spent two months feeding him, then gave up. That's what I'm stuck on"  
"Kenny admitted he baited you. Maybe Eren was never really in any danger?"  
"He was chained"  
"And you said Kenny had the key. Maybe the plan was to wipe us all out, but we killed them instead"  
"I just feel there's more to it all, more than just Kenny baiting me. He could have easily bated me with Eren's body"  
"There would be no guarantee you'd come for the body, or that we'd try to save Eren"  
"I mean, he could have killed him, then used him as bate. If Eren was supposed to be returned to them, what else did the have planned for him? And why haven't they moved against the Survey Corps?"  
"Because we haven't had any major missions outside the walls since?"  
"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right, and I need to work this out before I talk to Eren about it. His mind is a mess"  
"But he's happy?"  
"He's happy at the moment. We have more to talk about once he's ready. He's still recovering from what he did tell me"  
"As long as you're not upsetting him"  
"I'm not upsetting him. You're the one upsetting him with your shitty scents"  
"He hasn't said anything. He did mention smells during his exam, but he seemed alright with my scent"  
Levi scowled. Hanji had an argument for everything. He didn't know why she kept telling him not to upset Eren, when he wasn't the one upsetting him. He loved him. He couldn't control Eren taking thing the wrong way, all he could do was keep pushing his fiancé, keeping him going, until after their baby was born. Then they'd figure out their next move together.

"Is it safe to come in?"  
Standing in the doorway, Eren had both hands on his gravid belly, which was barely covered by the shirt he had on. Hanji's face lit up at the sight   
"Hey Eren. Did you sleep well?"  
"Mmm. Yeah. I'm starving though"  
Waddling over to him, Eren wrapped his arms around him, kissing his neck as he squeezed him tight   
"I swear every time I see your stomach, you've gotten bigger"  
"Don't say that. He's perfect. Aren't you brat?"  
Eren hummed, licking at the spot he'd just been kissing. Titling his neck to give Eren more access, Hanji looked ready to start with her shitty squealing   
"Eren, why are you licking Levi?"  
"Because it's comforting. This way I can taste him and smell him"  
"Hanji, this isn't some kind of experiment"  
"But you're letting him lick you..."  
"It's not something rare"  
Nipping the skin, Eren pulled back with a smirk  
"What's for breakfast?"  
"Food"  
"Mmmm... foooood"  
"You're a shit. Give me a kiss then go sit down"  
"Alright. Can we have stew for dinner?"  
"You want stew?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Alright. Now go babysit Shitty Glasses. She hasn't got Moblit to play with"  
Giving him the kiss he asked for, Eren gave him a second before moving to take his seat at the dining table.

While making bread for breakfast, Levi wisely chose to stay out of Eren and Hanji's conversation. Eren was teasing her about Moblit, while Hanji was getting so worked up, her comebacks weren't making sense. Having a Hanji-sitter made things much easier when it came to planning his day out. If Eren wanted stew for dinner, he was going to have to go check their traps. The little bit of meat they did have wasn't going to go far between four people, especially not with Eren's appetite. Popping the rolls into the oven, he fed the stove more wood, before seamlessly transitioning in to dinner prep. Gathering up the root vegetables from the basket, and a pot, he placed them down in front of Hanji, before backtracking to grab the broken piece of bamboo blade he'd fashioned into a kitchen knife  
"You're feeding me vegetables for breakfast?"  
"Your not funny. If we're having stew, it'll probably be rabbit, and rabbit needs to be slow cooked"  
Handing her the blade, Hanji cackled we she waved it around  
"Watch as I slay these vegetables!"  
Pointing the blade at Eren, Hanji didn't even realise her mistake. Pushing his chair back, the teen fled from the kitchen and out the backdoor. There were only a few moments of silence before Levi caught the telltale sounds of Eren vomiting. Grabbing the now empty vegetable basket, Levi stalked towards the door, while Hanji remained in her "pose"  
"Is he alright?"  
She was stupid. She had to be stupid. Or blind... it'd taken him less than a second to realise what had set Eren off, while Hanji still didn't fucking get it   
"He was until you upset him"  
"I didn't do anything"  
"You pointed a blade at person who's literally been hacked to pieces"  
Looking down, she let out a short "oh", before placing the blade down on the table  
"Should I go..."  
"No. You just make sure the bread doesn't burn, and try not to burn the house down while you're at it"  
"And cut the vegetables and wash the vegetables. I've got it"

Outside Eren was leaning against the house, his eyes closed as he mumbled to himself between deep breaths  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah... just calming back down. Hanji took me by surprise"  
"She's promised to take care of breakfast, if you want to stay out here and supervise"  
"Weren't you checking traps?"  
"I'll take Moblit with me later. I thought maybe you'd like to spend a little longer out here"  
"I do miss the sun... and I'd rather not go back in without you"  
"Will you be alright if I'm using the shovel?"  
"Yeah. I think I'll just sit in the sun for a bit..."  
Rubbing his swell, Eren winced as he used his left hand to push away from the house  
"Brat?"  
"It's fine. Normal pregnancy stuff"  
"It's not fine if you're wincing or in pain"  
"Levi, our baby likes to move and kick. Sometimes it's not exactly gentle. You don't need to worry so much"  
"That's all it is?"  
"Yeah. Help me sit? I don't know if I'll be able to get back up once I'm down"

With Eren picking at the small weeds growing around the garden bed, Levi was harvesting what was ready to come in, and attempting to wrangle back in the vines of the sweet potato that had popped up from nowhere. He certainly hadn't planted the shitty vegetable. He didn't even like the damn thing, but Eren seemed to like them, and that was the only reason it still lived. Checking the carrots and radishes he'd let grow to seed, he caught Eren staring at him  
"What is it?"  
"I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you"  
"Shitty Brat, you are literally the only person in the world to ever think that"  
"We both know that's not true. I'm a little surprised Erwin didn't come with Hanji and Moblit"  
"I'm glad he didn't. It's bad enough with them here"  
"Hanji isn't that bad..."  
"No, she's just crazy"  
"But a good kind of crazy. Do you know when they're leaving?"  
"Tomorrow. I can kick them out earlier, if you want"  
"No. It's nice that you have someone other than me to talk to"  
"You're the only one worth talking to"  
Eren ducked his head, abandoning his weeding in favour of rubbing his stomach  
"Everything ok?"  
"Yeah. They've stopped bashing me, and it's just a fake contraction"  
"Contractions?"  
Levi's heart began to race at the thought of contractions. Contractions led to labour... labour led to birth... he swayed on the spot  
"Hey, no. Fake contractions are a thing and it's ok"  
"They are?"  
"Levi, Grisha was a doctor. You learn things. Come over here"  
Staggering over, he squatted down in front of his brat. Taking his hands, Eren placed them on his stomach   
"Feel that? That's your baby kicking. When they're ready to be born, the kicking will be up here, not down here"  
"Our baby kicking"  
"Yeah. Ours. Now, finish up gardening. I'm really hungry"  
Leaning in, Levi nuzzled Eren cheek before kissing it  
"You have to wash your hands or you don't get to eat"  
Eren snorted, before letting him pull him up to stand   
"Way to be romantic"  
"So it's romance you want?"  
"Maybe?"  
"Wash your hands and I might be able to find something romantic for us to do"  
"Don't push yourself old man. I need you in one piece"  
"That's right. I'm the only one marrying you"  
"Can we practice our honeymoon later?"  
"Horny little shit"  
"Like you're not"  
"Only when you're around"  
"That's because you make me come so hard that I feel like it lasts for hours"  
Leaning in, Eren's kiss was hard and dominating. The teen's flirting teasing had him itching to claim his mate, his senses were becoming numbed as Eren took control. Tugging his hand down, Eren rocked against it, moaning into his mouth as he groped him awkwardly  
"Levi..."  
"Brat?"  
"I expect it to be romantic"  
Eren pulled back like he wasn't a fucking tease   
"Then do you want to help me in the kitchen? You don't have to cook, but I thought you might like to experiment a little"  
"You can't lay me down on the table and eat me out. That isn't food"  
Eren's smile dropped a little when he didn't reply, before gushing  
"You were being serious? You'll let me help? Can I help? Please? I want to help. Can I check the traps with you? We could all go together?"  
"Slow down brat. If Hanji says you're alright to walk around, you can come with us"  
"Really?! I know you like it better when I stay home..."  
"That's because I want you safe. If the four of us go, you should be safe"  
He didn't want Eren going, but how could he say no to fiancés enthusiasm. He'd had a scare, but he'd calmed down. He'd calmed down and now was moving forward  
"Thank you"  
"You don't need to thank me. Go ahead, I just need to grab the basket"

 

*  
Eren had been left home alone while the others had gone and checked the traps. The teen wasn't happy about it either, not when it was all Hanji's fault. She wanted him to stay home and rest all because he'd freaked out a little over her pointing a blade at him. It wasn't even a huge freak out. He'd thrown up, but he'd also worked on his breathing until it was under control again, then worked through things a little while he'd picked at the weeds. He didn't like Levi being out there without him. He didn't like that his alpha could be hurt or killed while he wasn't there. He missed being a wolf. If he was a wolf, Levi would have taken him with him. If he was a wolf, Levi could cuddle into his warmth at night. He'd be able to protect him, and not just sit around at home and wait for his return.

Determined to prove his worth, Eren was rearranging the room he shared with Levi. The first thing being to move their double across to the middle of the room, giving himself space to get up during the night without waking Levi. He then stripped the sheets off, changing them to the ones Levi had bought him. Opening the window to air the room, he frowned at the scents on the air. It smelt like rain was coming again, and he didn't want Levi getting caught in it. There was washing on the line, that'd need to come in before the rain started coming down, or the mud would splash up and stain the fabric. The gate to the horse pen would need to be double checked, and the halters removed from Moblit and Hanji's horses in case they bolted. There was a lot to do.. a lot of ways to prove his worth, and that he was worthy of marrying Levi.

Taking the stairs one at a time, he hated not being able to see his toes anymore. He hated being on the stairs when Levi was in the house, doubly so when wasn't. He was always scared he'd lose his balance and slip. Thankfully he didn't. Making it outside, it just started spitting as his barefoot made contact with the dirt. Fuck. The horses would need to wait. Levi wouldn't be happy at all if his hard work was ruined. Rushing to the washing line, he tore the sheets and clothes from the line, bundling them up in a way that would make Levi cringe if he saw. Carrying the bundle back to the house, his foot caught on a dangling strip of blanket, sending him sprawling into the kitchen as he tried to save both the washing and prevent his stomach from hitting the floor. Landing with his arms out, his wrist cracked as his palms grazed the floor, his belly barely saved from impact. Confused over what had happened, he started crying. He'd been just fine, and the next thing he was falling, ruining all the washing and hurting himself. His wrist hurt so bad. That was one thing he'd noticed. Since being tortured, his sense of pain had changed. Something's he could barely feel, but this hurt so fucking much. Easing himself back, he pressed his back against the wall as he continued to cry. One little job and he'd messed it up. Levi would be so mad. He'd gotten the clean washing dirty and he'd hurt himself.

Huddled next to the doorway, Eren was still purring and crying when the front door opened. The outside world was now blanketed with thick grey storm clouds, and bright flashes of lightening. So lost in his misery, he didn't see Hanji supporting an injured Moblit in, or that Levi was bleeding heavily from a nasty looking head wound. He'd wanted to calm down, but knowing how badly he'd fucked up left him scared. He could have lost the baby, which was kicking so hard it hurt. His whole stomach hurt. It felt like the fake contractions, but they hurt more. Jumping at the sound of something crashing, he tried to wriggled further back, his sore wrist protesting his movement   
"Eren?"  
Warm hands took his face, titling his head up and forcing him to look at blurry blob  
"Shitty Glasses, you'll need to take care of Moblit. I need to move Eren into the living room. He's freezing"  
Too many words. Levi was saying too many words. He could hear now that he was being made to focus, behind the Levi blob was a muttering Hanji and a moaning Moblit. And blood? There was blood in the air? Pushing a hand to his mouth, he couldn't stop himself from vomiting. Instead it came out through his nose, making him gag from the burning and whine needily for Levi's reassurances   
"Levi, get him out of here. Then come back, I need your help"  
"Eren, I need to get you out the kitchen. Hanji and I need to help Moblit"  
Moblit? Something was wrong with Moblit? Lifting him, Eren was carried to the living room. His alpha using his shirt to clean his mess off him, before covering him with a blanket. He couldn't understand any of this. Why was Levi leaving him? He was mad? Memories of being whipped crept from the corner of his mind. They'd wanted to him to behave, to be good, for him to tell them about his dad... so they'd whipped him, telling him how bad he'd been and how he shouldn't exist. Would Levi hurt him? No. Levi wouldn't hurt him. They were having a good morning... but he'd been bad. He'd been scared because of Hanji... he was bad...

 

*  
If the shitty weather hadn't been bad enough, walking in on Eren's mental breakdown had been the cherry on the top. The washing he'd done lay split across the floor, two of the sheets half soaked with mud, while rain came through the open doorway. It wasn't what he needed to come home to. Not after being attacked in the forest. The werewolves had come from nowhere, Moblit rammed right into a tree as the pack launched themselves at the trio. Acting to save Moblit, Hanji had been sent flying into him, causing him to smack his head against a particularly sharp rock. From the nausea and trouble he was having, Levi was certain he was concussed. Still, he'd fought back, killing the pack as they lead them through the forest, Hanji supporting Moblit the whole way, begging him not to die as she did. Stumbling back into the kitchen he moved straight over to the sink, vomiting up his breakfast like Eren had just done. He didn't want to leave Eren, but his head felt like it was being cleaved in two. With a growl, he turned on the tap, glaring at the running water that grated on his nerves  
"Levi, get over here. I need help getting his boot off!"  
Did she even care that Eren was upset? Or that they'd both vomited? Pinching the bridge of his nose, he stumbled back from the sink and over to the dining table, where Moblit was moaning in pain. Hanji had already freed him of his gear and the three rabbits they'd pulled from the traps, it was just his boot. If he got Moblit's boot off, he could get back to Eren... only, he didn't quite make it. Looking down at Moblit, the world swam in and out of focus before his knees buckled, smacking his head again as he passed out on the kitchen floor.

When Levi woke, he was sitting next to Eren. His head throbbing like crazy, while his fiancé was fast asleep. Instead of his usual peaceful look, brow was drawn in pain, sweat rolling down his face. Grunting as he sat up, he eyed Moblit sitting across from them, his foot up on the coffee table with leg splinted and bound tightly   
"What happened?"  
Moblit jumped a little, rubbing his eyes as he shifted  
"How are you feeling?"  
"About as good as you look"  
"You collapsed in the kitchen. You've been out for about four hours or so"  
"I collapsed?"  
"You hit your head. Twice"  
Twice? He could remember the first time, the second must have been when he fell. Staring at Moblit, he realised the man was high on pain medication. A dopey looking grin on his face   
"Oh. I guess that makes sense. How's the leg?"  
"It hurts like a bitch and I lost a toe"  
Levi couldn't help but snort at the way Moblit sounded so wistful over the lost of his toe   
"At least you didn't lose your dick"  
"Nooo. Just my little toe. You never realise how important they are until they're gone"  
"Where's Hanji?"  
"In the kitchen! How are you feeling?!"  
"Stop yelling"  
"My three little patients. Is Eren still sleeping?"  
"You didn't drug him too, did you?"  
Wandering in from the kitchen, Hanji nodded  
"I gave him a light sedative. He worked himself back up when he realised you were unconscious. He blamed himself for it"  
"Was that all he said?"  
"Pretty much. You're concussed, so I want you to try and stay awake this time"  
"I would have stayed awake the last time if you hadn't been yelling"  
"You moved Eren, cleaned him up, came back to the kitchen, threw up, left the taps running and fainted. I didn't have time to yell. I had to adult for the three of you"  
"I don't think drugging two out of three patients qualifies as adulting"  
"I also got Eren dressed again. Checked his wrist out, got him drinking water and got him calm down"  
"His wrist?"  
"It's just a sprain. I think because of the energy the baby needs, his healing powers have slowed. Just like how he had that cold"  
"You should have woken me"  
"Once I was sure your breathing and heart rate were stable, I figured you could use the rest. Don't worry about the washing, I took care of that too"  
"I wasn't worried about it until you said that"  
"You're so grumpy"  
"Because my head fucking hurts"  
"Then try not falling into things head first"  
Moblit giggled  
"Levi was just using his head"  
"Yes, he was. How do you feel?"  
"Lighter... Levi said it was a good thing it wasn't my dick"  
"Yes it was. Now, dinner is ready if you feel up to eating"  
If he'd been out for four hours, that wasn't enough time to drain and skin the rabbits, and slow cook them... she should have just left it to him. Even if it meant eating at midnight  
"You and Moblit go ahead. I'm going to wake Eren up"  
"Let him sleep. Panic attacks take a lot out of him"  
"That's why I need to wake him. He'll panic if let him sleep"  
"But he's sleeping. He doesn't even know you're awake"  
"And he'll think I'm trying to hide something if I don't let him know I'm alright"  
"Levi's whipped! He used to be so scary and cranky. But now he's funny"  
Hanji laughed annoyingly loudly   
"Oh Moblit, you know how to make a girl laugh"  
"I wasn't being funny. He was all frowny before Eren. Now he's all like normal"  
"Do something about him"  
"Moblit, it's dinner time. I made dinner"  
"Is it safe?"  
Levi snickered, Hanji pouting as she walked over to Moblit and flicked in his ear   
"People who nearly get eaten will do what they're told"  
"But I lost my toe! I'm in enough pain! I don't deserve this!"  
"Rude. I didn't even burn it, much"  
"Levi, don't make me eat her cooking"  
"You're on your own"  
"Not cool"  
High Moblit was definitely much more interesting than normal Moblit. Eren would have loved this. Watching Moblit flail as Hanji pulled him up, he tried to free himself from her hold as they disappeared into the kitchen. Better Moblit suffer Hanji's cooking than him.

With the pair gone, Levi looked to Eren, taking his hand in his. His wrist was warm and swollen, but not as swollen as it could have been. He took that to mean that he was indeed healing. With his right hand, he cupped Eren's cheek, rubbing the soft skin with the pad of his thumb  
"Eren? Eren, it's time to wake up"  
Wriggling in sleep, his boyfriend moved closer  
"I know you're sleepy, but you need to wake up"  
With a small yawn, Eren blinked sleepily at him  
"Levi?"  
"Yeah. I'm here. How do you feel?"  
"Sleepy"  
"Hanji made dinner"  
"Not hungry"  
"I know, but you need to eat"  
"I'm mad at you"  
"I'm fine. All healed up, it was just a small concussion"  
"You got hurt again and we never did anything romantic"  
"I just hit my head. I'm alright now"  
Shifting his position, Eren placed his head on Levi's shoulder   
"I'm sleepy"  
"You need to eat"  
"I don't feel like food. My stomach feels gross"  
"Because there's nothing in it"  
"And I need to pee"  
"Why don't we have dinner in our room? Once you eat, you can go back to sleep"  
Mumbling his reply, Levi couldn't make it out. Forcing himself up, Levi waited for the world to stop spinning before pulling Eren up to join him, looping his arm around his waist to support his lover's weight.

When they reached the bedroom, Levi was shocked to find the bed moved and remade. The floor was wet, but he couldn't find the energy to be angry over it. Eren had probably gone to get the washing when it'd started raining, before whatever triggered his breakdown. Guiding him over to their bed, he pulled back the covers before letting Eren climb in  
"I'll be right back"  
"I'm not hungry"  
"You still need to eat"  
"Can I have a bucket?"  
"A bucket?"  
"Feel sick"  
"Hang on"  
Fetching a bucket from the bathroom, he placed it beside the bed. He was about to leave when Eren grabbed his wrist loosely  
"'m sorry about the washing. I promise I'll do better next time"  
"It's ok. I'm not mad"  
"Didn't mean to trip... I just wanted to be useful"  
Fuck dinner. His brat needed him. Moving around the bed, he stripped down to his underwear, then crawled in behind Eren, snaking an arm around him  
"You are useful. I know you wanted to help, today just wasn't a great day"  
"I fucked up"  
"Not as much as I did. I didn't even hear the wolves coming"  
"I hate them"  
"I'm not that fond of them either. You said you tripped?"  
"On a sheet... I was so scared"  
"You're ok now..."  
"I'm sorry. I'm sleepy"  
"Go to sleep. I love you"  
"' love you too"


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. Eren does look like Hobo Eren, and Levi's hair is long enough for that man bun we were hoping for.
> 
> Current age for is 17. Just on 34 weeks at chapter end

Moblit was still high as kite when he and Hanji left. The storm had meant another day stuck with them, while Eren had asked for a little space. He'd thrown up half a dozen times during the night, until Hanji had given him some herbs to settle his stomach, explaining it was probably his body reacting negatively to all the stress he was under. His brat had cried when the two had finally left, before curling up on the lounge chair and reading some book Hanji had left for him. She didn't want Eren stressing, so wanted Levi to stay close to him at all times. This didn't work with Eren's request for space, so Levi had pulled out some of their sheets and clothes that were ripped, and spent the morning fixing what was worth fixing, and turning the rest into nappies and clothes for cleaning. Once that was done, he simply watched Eren as he read. If he didn't talk, Eren didn't seem to mind him being there. 

When lunch time came, he stewed a couple of apples, before frying them in a thin batter. It was along the lines of what he'd wanted to cook with Eren, but thanks to their throughly shit day, they hadn't had the chance. With the fritters piled on the plate, he brewed a fresh pot of tea, and plated everything nicely on a serving platter before carrying it into the living room and setting it down on the coffee table   
"Eren, its lunch time"  
Closing his book, Eren looked up at him with wide eyes   
"What's wrong? It's not just Hanji and Moblit leaving, is it?"  
"I've been thinking"  
"Can you tell me about it?"  
Eren nodded, patting the space next to him  
"I had a dream about my d... about Grisha"  
"About Grisha?"  
"Yeah... Levi, did you read the journal he left?"  
"I read both of them"  
"Do you think he loved me? He was laughing and smiling in my dream, but did he ever really care"  
"I think he did, in his own ways"  
In the only way a psychopath could...  
"Can you tell me about him?"  
"You know him better than I did"  
"I feel like I didn't know him at all. I feel like I don't really know anyone. I mean, we all have a side we show people and one we hide. Hanji asked me if I missed everyone, but I don't even feel connected to them anymore. They're all moving on with their lives and going on missions. While I'm here's, messing up and holding you back"  
"You're not holding me back"  
"You've been hurt twice in werewolf attacks"  
"And there's been a lot of times I haven't"  
"So there are wolves around here?"  
"Sometimes. Usually just one or two"  
"You never tell me"  
"Because they aren't an issue"  
"They are when they could cost you your life"  
"Look. I know you're bored, but a few more months and we'll be parents"  
"How can I be a good parent when everything I thought I knew was a lie?"  
"Because you are not your father"  
"They say that the sins of the father are inherited by the son"  
"That sounds like some aristocratic bullshit right there. You're not your dad"  
"I wish he'd told me the truth. I wish he hadn't just abandoned us to die"  
"Maybe he returned to wherever he came from?"  
"Leaving us to die inside the walls like cattle... did he... did he even love me? Or want me? Those hours we spent together.. did they mean anything to him?"  
"I can only speak from my own experience. Anyone who knows you can't help but love you. You're stubborn, and head strong. You always want to help people, even to the point you'll let yourself be hurt. You have a fire in you, that draws people to you"  
"That isn't an answer"  
"I think he did. I think he wanted to save you, but went about it completely wrong. I think in his own way, he was fighting to save everyone"  
"I don't want to see him in my dreams. But I want to ask him why?"  
"I don't know what to say"  
"I don't either. Do you think it was safe? Where he came from?"  
"It had to be if there were people there"  
"Why do you think we don't know about them?"  
"I don't know. We both know there's something wrong with the Government"  
"I want to see it. With my own eyes. I want to see what they're hiding. Why my da... why Grisha came here and where he came from"  
"And what will you do once you do?"  
"I don't know. I mean... if they're other shifters out there, why aren't they helping killing the werewolves and why aren't the rest of humanity helping?"  
"I'm sorry I don't have all the answers you want"  
"It's ok... I thought maybe he wrote them down"  
"He didn't..."  
"Thanks anyway. What's for lunch, it looks interesting"  
"I was trying to find new recipes, but I don't know how they turned out. I thought maybe we could try making new things together"  
"That sounds nice"  
Eren didn't sound overly thrilled, picking up the first apple fritter his fiancé bit into the warm treat  
"It's better than it looks"  
"It all comes out looking the same in the end"  
"I can't argue with that... thanks. I know I'm being pretty depressing"  
"You have a lot on your mind"  
"It's just frustrating sitting on the sidelines. I want to be out there. I want to be killing werewolves and getting closer to finding out what's really out there and where my blood comes from... but I guess it's stupid"  
"Do you regret it?"  
"Regret what?"  
"Falling pregnant?"  
"Yes and no. Yes because you're stuck out here with me, hiding from the Government like you've done something wrong. I miss shifting and running and hunting. I miss being big enough to stand beside you, or you back you up. I miss being able to walk with you and being able to hunt down food... I miss... I miss the castle. I don't feel like I have anywhere I belong anymore"  
Breaking down into soft sobs, Levi pulled Eren into his hold. He knew his brat missed it all, but he'd only said the bad things... like their baby was a bad thing. It hurt to think he might not want it  
"You belong with me"  
"But you're being hunted too! You've been hurt and hurt, over and over! I hate it! I don't want to be on the sidelines! I don't want to keep you from your friends! I always admired you! I wanted to be someone you liked, but you don't even seem happy anymore. It's like I'm sucking your life away"  
"You are not sucking my life away"  
"I am!"  
Eren let out a pained groan, grabbing his stomach as he did   
"Eren?"  
"If it wasn't for the baby, would still be here?"  
"Yes. I've told you over and over I want to be with you"  
"I don't want to hold you back"  
"You're not holding me back. It's because of you I could finally make peace with what happened to Isabel and Farlan. It's because of you that I learned I could be happy"  
"I... I don't want to be in the dark anymore"  
"I know"  
"And I'm sick of fucking crying"  
"You're pregnant and hormonal"  
"No fucking shit. Sina. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap"  
Nuzzling into Eren's neck, he pressed a kiss to Eren's scent gland  
"Don't... I'm not in the mood"  
"I was just trying to show you I care"  
"I think I want to go up to bed"  
"What about lunch?"  
"Can we bring it with us?"  
"I'm invited?"  
"Do you... not want to?"  
"Do you want me to?"  
"No. I was just asking because I like hearing the sound of my own fucking voice. Just stay down here and do whatever the fuck you want"  
"You said you wanted space and I was trying to respect that"  
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you there"  
"You didn't actually ask"  
"I asked if we could bring the food with us. Us. Plural"  
"And I was just confirming you actually wanted me there! Don't get shitty at me for wanting to make sure I was doing the right thing!"  
"Then don't ask stupid fucking questions!"  
Groaning again, Eren rubbed at his stomach  
"Are you alright?"  
"It just fucking hurts"  
"Your stomach?"  
"When I'm angry or upset"  
"Did you tell Hanji"  
"It's from stressing the baby"  
So now he had something else to worry about. Eren's life was one big mess of stress  
"Don't give me that fucking look"  
"What look?"  
"That look of pity! Like I'm pathetic"  
"I'm worried about you"  
"Stop it! I can't take it! I'm sick of it! I don't make you happy, I make you fucking worry!"  
Struggling off of him, Eren waddle-stormed off. Anxieties and worry came from loving someone. He hadn't taken proposing marriage to Eren lightly. He was past the age most people settled down and got serious. Eren was it for him. He was all he wanted. If his life was some kind of shitty novel, Eren would be described as his one great love... or some shit. If he wasn't serious, he wouldn't have proposed marriage after just 7 months of being together, even if they had been partners for over a year before hand.

Eren was leaning out the window when Levi went to check on him. The teen had his eyes closed as he soaked in the sun   
"Don't. I don't want to fight"  
"I don't like fighting either"  
"I didn't mean... I don't know what I meant"  
"I don't think you're pathetic"  
"I feel it"  
"You're not. I brought the rest of the fritters up"  
"You should have eaten"  
"I made them for you"  
"I wish you didn't. It makes it harder to be mad at when you, when you do stuff like that"  
"I'm always making you mad"  
"Not always. Sometimes you're making me come"  
Eren turned, giving him a half smile   
"That's true. How's the baby?"  
"Settled. I think they're sleeping"  
"So no more pain?"  
"Just some lingering pain. I feel so bloated"  
"You are"  
"Not funny"  
"It's the truth. You're pregnant with our baby. Your stomach swollen and stretched, sitting lower than it had been. You've formed small, soft breasts in preparation to feed. You don't know what it does to me. I could spend all day, ever day fucking you and touching you, but it wouldn't be enough"  
Eren blushed bright red   
"Watching you ride me, watching your belly and boobs bounce while you fuck yourself on my dick, or pushing you down and mounting you from behind. Making you moan and as whine as your stomach hangs heavily, until you come all over your swell. I love you. I love our baby. I don't miss the castle. I don't miss my old life. I want this life. With you"  
"Alright. I get it... you didn't need to be so vivid with your descriptions"  
"If I was being vivid, I'd start..."  
Eren covered his ears and shook his head   
"I don't want to hear it. Nope"  
Smirking, Levi placed the tray down on their bed. Eren still blushing as he walked around and climbed in on his side  
"I want to go for a walk later, and you're taking me"  
"Am I?"  
"You are. Food. Nap. Walk"  
"You're not a dog"  
"I wish I was. Or at least a wolf again"  
"Hanji said it should only be nine more weeks"  
"You do realise that nine times seven is sixty-three. That means another sixty-three days of being stuck like this"  
"There's nothing wrong with you being stuck like this"  
"I'm going to remember this the next time we get into another fight"  
"Was that really a fight?"  
"You're so frustrating"  
"And you're a shit"  
"Don't remind me. Now let me eat. The sooner I eat, the sooner I can nap"

 

*  
The next few weeks seemed to take forever to pass. His moods and emotions snapping so suddenly that Eren had decided to hole himself up in the supply room, looking at medical books and figuring out what all the different herbs in there did. He also used his time to start writing a journal of his own. This one written to his baby, like Grisha had written for him. Only, his was full of love and praise for the little one growing inside of him. It was also a full "confession" of who he was, and what he knew about being a wolf. It might not have been much, but if the Government caught and killed him, or he was separated from his child, he wanted them to know how important they were to him. He'd also made a list of all the things he could remember from when he was being help. The list was seperate from the book, as he didn't want his child knowing what had been done and somehow thinking it was their fault. He just wanted to make sure he remembered everything, and one day, when he was ready, he'd show it to Hanji.

Calling it a day, Eren waddled from the supply room. After making sure both documents were safely hidden from prying eyes. Levi wouldn't invade his privacy, but if they ended up with more unexpected visitors, he didn't want to chance anything. Stopping by the bathroom, Eren then headed downstairs. Levi was curled up on the lounge chair reading, his fiancé looked adorable as he chewed on his lip  
"Levi? I want to go for a walk, do you want to come with me?"  
"Hmm, what? Sure. Let me get my boots"  
Placing the book down, Levi yawned as he stretched, his toned stomach peaking out as his shirt hitched up. That was all Eren's hormones needed. Slick practically gushing over how sexy Levi was. Walking over to him, Eren dropped down into his lap, nuzzling at his neck as he slipped a hand up Levi's shirt  
"I thought you wanted to go for a walk"  
"I did. But looking at you has me slicking like crazy"  
"Mmm... I think we can do something about that"  
"You. Me. Now"  
"That sounds better than a walk"  
"And safer because we aren't even leaving the house"  
Tugging on his earlobe with his teeth, Eren moaned, grinding down with a need for more. Levi hissed, his tenting erection trapped beneath him  
"Fuck..."

Swept off the lounge chair, Levi carried him up to their room, laying him down on the bed with a possessive snarl. Fighting their way out of their clothes between kisses, Levi took his face in his hands, running the pad of his thumb over Eren's lips  
"You're so fucking beautiful brat"  
Kissing his way down, Levi sucked and teased his nipples until his breasts ached and his legs shook. Whining, Eren arched his back, letting his legs drop open  
"Look at you. Fuck. You're perfect"  
Running both hands over his swell, Levi lavished his stomach in attention. His hands and mouth driving him crazy, his mews loud and lewd  
"L-Levi... fuck... need you"  
Sliding his own hand down between this legs, Levi slapped the back of it   
"No touching yourself. This is mine"  
"But... Levi... need you to fill me"  
"Patience brat"  
Whining in annoyance, Levi snorted down at him, before shifting back on their bed and grabbing him by the hips. Eren swore his eyes rolled back as Levi started to lap at his slick, before tonguing at his sopping opening  
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Levi! Fuuuuuck!"  
"You're filthy!"  
Wriggling, Eren gasped and moaned, Levi sliding a finger to rub at his prostate, sparks danced across his vision.  
"Fuck... Levi... more!"  
"You taste so good. You're so perfect, little omega"  
Levi moaned, reapplying himself to the loosening opening with enough vigour that Eren came. His fiancé hadn't even touched his dick, his orgasm feeling like he was gushing semen like it was slick. Sucking and lapping until his body slumped back against the bed, Levi pulled off, before using his tongue to clean him up  
"I want you"  
"I want it from behind"  
Levi nodded, letting him roll himself over and present his throbbing arse for the man. Groping his arse cheeks, Levi pushed his tongue back in, Eren already shaking so hard he was nearly vibrating  
"Shit! Levi... fuck me! I want to be full"  
"Full with my children"  
"Yes! Oh my Maria!"  
Running his tongue up his arse, Levi nipped at his arse  
"Going to breed this tight little arse of yours so fucking good"  
"Yes!"  
He felt like he was heat. His head foggy, as he rubbed his tender chest against the sheets, trying to relieve the full feeling  
"Everything about you is fucking perfect. I waited my whole life for you..."  
Running his hands up Eren's back, Levi slipped them down to his breasts as the alpha slowly pushed inside his head. His gasp continuing until Levi was completely sheathed inside of him, stretching him deliciously, and filling him completely. With their baby sitting lower, and with weight pushjng against his prostate, he was finding even the slightest move could send sparks of need bursting to life. He'd been doing a lot of thinking and working on himself over the past few weeks, so sex hadn't been happening as much as he needed it. This he needed  
"M-move already..."  
Levi's pace was hard. The sound of wet skin slapping wet skin was all he could hear. He felt like he was going fucking crazy for his alpha, begging Levi to breed him, despite already being swollen. Coming again, Levi sat back up, slamming harder into him, driving him down into the bed until his lover's dick swelled, his barbs catching and euphoria filled him with his third dry orgasm. Unable to control his body, he fell sideways, not sure if come or piss was leaking from his spent dick as he continued to shake with after tremors  
"Fucking filthy brat. Fuck... I'm still coming"  
It took ages for Levi's hips to finally stop stuttering behind him. His alpha groaning dramatically as he curled around him, one hand moving to massage Eren's left breast   
"Fuck. If you weren't so swollen and full, you'd be pregnant from how much I just came"  
He could feel his body trying to draw Levi's come deeper, ripples and contractions passing through him as he clenched down harder, as if trying to milk ever drop. Feeling something wet dribble down, he looked down to his breast, finding milk leaking from the nipple Levi was working. Pushing himself back against Levi, he moaned from the release   
"Don't stop"  
"You like this?"  
"My milk's coming in... your relieving the pressure and it feels good"  
"Your milk?"  
Eren nodded, closing his eyes as he Levi bit into his shoulder. Shuddering, his spent penis twitched, but three orgasms was his bodies limit. Instead he was just basking in the waves of pleasures flowing throw him, while he purred loudly. He had the best fiancé in the world.

 

*  
Levi couldn't get enough of Eren. They'd moved from the bed, to the bath, to the kitchen, to the living room, each time they'd been unable to keep their hands off each other, finding that the dining table was the perfect place to lay Eren out, and watch himself fuck him. His omega's scent was changing and he felt it wouldn't be long before the baby would come. He'd noticed how Eren's swell seemed to be sitting lower. The feeling of kicks at the top of Eren's swell. He expected it to be any day now. Even if it was too soon, their baby had shifter and vampire blood. It would be strong and it would be healthy, and big. Very big, if Eren's stomach was anything to go by. The stretch marks on the base were such an angry purple, almost looking like bruising across his lover's skin. Licking and kissing the sensitive skin, he wondered if the marks of pregnancy would fade after their child's birth. He didn't really want them to. He loved all of Eren, especially the scars that showed he carried their child.

Passing out together in each other's arms, the smell of sex hung heavily in the air. Their scents having filled the whole building, Levi's tinged with a warning hue, letting anyone who dared to come near the properly know that he'd kill them. Soon his mate would give birth, and if anyone crossed the threshold, he'd decapitate them, then present their head to Eren as evidence of his protective abilities. Stirring in his arms, Eren let out a growl. He was used to Eren growling, but frowned at the warning vibe it gave off. Pushing Levi back against the lounge chair, Eren growled again  
"Brat?"  
"Someone's close"  
"Someone or something?"  
"Both. I smell them... we need to move"  
"Eren, are you sure?"  
"I smell them. It's getting closer"  
How Eren could smell anything over the stench of sex, he didn't know. But he trusted Eren and his senses. Lifting him, Eren clung hard enough for his fingernails to tear into Levi's shoulder. His omega was scared. He could smell it. For Eren to be this scared, there really had to be something there.

Getting them both dressed, Levi grabbed the rifle from the supply room and positioned himself at their bedroom door. Eren was trying to hide himself in the bottom of the wardrobe, as his pregnant body wouldn't fit under the bed. He longed to hold his shaking teen, and to pull hims from whatever memory seemed to hold him in its icy grip, but all he could do was stand on guard. 

When a heavy knock landed on one of the doors downstairs, Eren squeaked a stranger kind of scream. Ignoring it, he hoped whoever was knocking would just leave. Whoever it was, tried four times over the following hour, before finally giving up. Eren was in neat hysterics when Levi finally pulled him from the wardrobe. Getting him into their bed, Levi sat with his back against the bedhead, gun aimed at the door, with Eren's head in his lap. The night passed at an agonising rate. His body tense, ready to spring into action should something happen, while each creak and groan of the house had him jumping. No human in their right mind would be outside the walls. Not with the werewolf threat still so high. Shinganshima might have been blocked, preventing new wolves entering, but there was still enough of them between Maria and Rose for it to be a suicide mission. The only people stupid enough to be out here were the Survey Corps, and him and Eren.

When the suns morning rays finally came through the curtain, Levi slid out from under Eren. Taking his gun with him as he first cleared the second floor of any intruders, then the first. Outside the house there were fresh prints, and a single white envelope was pinned to their front door. Snatching it down, he darted back inside, opening it the moment the door was locked  
"Shinganshima is open"  
Three words. Three words that he didn't know how he was supposed to take. Shinganshima is open? Open to what? Had the wolves gotten past the rubble? Or had people started recovering the area? And who had left the note. The foot prints suggested a group of five. Two smaller sets, and three larger, probably meaning three men and two women. If Hanji or Erwin had been part of the party, they would have made their presence known. Scared of what this could mean for Eren, Levi rushed back upstairs. Relieved to find the teen still sleeping where he'd left him. Taking up guard again, he propped the gun against their bed, and drew his love back into his hold. One hand on Eren's hair, and the other on his swell. Whoever had visited them knew who they were. Who Eren was. The house was no longer safe. But he couldn't risk fleeing with Eren. With five, the party would be able to watch the house from every angle. They be hunted down before they could escape.

He was no closer to a solution when Eren woke. His love, whimpering as he curled into him. Sliding his hand down, Levi found himself checking to make sure Eren's water hadn't broken without him noticing. His omega's pants were damp, his fingers smelling like slick as he sniffed at them. Good. It would be just their luck for Eren to go into labour while they were practically hostage in their own place. Stroking Eren's hair, he pulled it gently away from his face. His fingers ghosting over Eren's cheek affectionately. He didn't want to drop such heavy news on his omega the moment he woke  
"Levi?"  
"I'm here"  
"What happened?"  
"You fell asleep"  
"I figured that much out. Did last night... someone was knocking?"  
"Yeah. I heard it too. No one was there when I checked this morning"  
"I feel gross"  
"You're probably still exhausted"  
"Did you sleep?"  
No. Not at all. But that's not what Eren wanted him to say  
"I rested. It's still early, if you want to go back to sleep"  
"I need a shower. I feel grimy and sweaty"  
"You slicked a little in your sleep"  
"I don't think I stop slicking. Especially when you're around. My body goes into overdrive"  
Rolling over Eren smiled up at him, reaching his hand out to clumsily cup Levi's right cheek  
"You're really beautiful, but you need a hair cut"  
"What about your hair?"  
"I'm growing it out"  
"And I'm not allowed to grow mine out?"  
"No. You wouldn't be Levi without that undercut. You know, sometimes it feels like I'm dreaming when I look at you"  
"Really? I'm starting to think maybe you're still asleep with all this shit your sprouting"  
"I'm not sleeping. My dreams are never this nice. I had this one about wolves and I can tell you... it was not nice"  
"Who said I'm nice? I'm pretty sure your sister still hates me"  
"She'll get over it. Can you help me to the bathroom?"  
"You need help?"  
"Maybe I just need an excuse for you to help me shower?"  
"You definitely don't need an excuse for that"  
Leaving the note on the bedside table, Levi pushed it to the back of his mind as he got Eren up and out of bed.

Showering together, Levi took his time to relish the small touches between them. The small looks of love Eren gave, and the smile that played on the brats lips as his hands caressed his stomach. The soft kisses they shared as Eren washed his hair, and teased him again about needing a hair cut. He probably did. He'd love to trim Eren's too, but his brat would probably freak if scissors or a knife came too close to it. It could wait for now, until once their baby was born. Then he wouldn't need to worry about panic induced labour. Smiling at him sweetly, Eren leant forward for another kiss, before taking his hand in his  
"I love you"  
"I love you too, brat. We should get you out the shower"  
"Yeah. I want to finish up what I've been reading in the supply room. I think I've made progress with remembering all the herbs and their uses"  
He already knew that Eren wasn't reading. He'd heard the furious scratching of pen against parchment more than once as he'd stood outside the door. Whatever Eren was doing, was important to him, so he didn't like to pry. It also seemed to help with his fiancés emotions, and it wasn't as troublesome as having Eren helping in the kitchen. He'd started with his nesting, rearranging the kitchen in accordance to his hormones... it'd taken Levi days to move everything back. So he was happy to leave the supply room to Eren, it was a free space he could clean and organise however he wished  
"Did you find any to help ease labour?"  
"Actually, they were the first I looked at. I think Hanji intentionally left a medical book on birth and labour... and I didn't need to see it"  
"That bad?"  
"Just a little. I also don't have a vagina, so the references to the female anatomy weren't that much help"  
"You wouldn't even know what to do with a vagina"  
"Not when I love your dick up my arse so much"  
"Shitty brat. We were having a nice moment"  
"We still are... though, I'd like it better if we continued this moment in our room..."

He couldn't say no. His dick couldn't say no either. With Eren leaning against the bed end, the fuck was warm and playful. What both of them needed after the stress of the night before. They both might have been trying avoid reality for just that little bit longer, but Levi wasn't about to deny Eren anything he wanted. Especially after his gaze had accidentally fixed on the note beside the bed. Who knew how many more chances they'd get to be intimate like this? It Hanji's math was correct, Eren was 33 weeks, heading into his 34th. Pulling out and coming down Eren's inner thighs, Eren whined his protest, but with his omega shaking, it was more important for him to sit than it was for Levi to come inside of him. Huffing as he sat, Eren pouted at him, his hand dipping between his legs with a glare  
"I just had a shower"  
"I'll grab a cloth and clean you up"  
"I wanted your fucking dick"  
"You're exhausted"  
"I was so fucking close to coming again!"  
Snorting, Levi sank to his knees and nudged Eren's legs apart. Using his fingers to fuck his lover slowly, he brought Eren to orgasm, the teen coming hard down the back of his throat with a long groan. Drinking down each drop, he pulled off with a loud pop that made Eren snort  
"Better?"  
"Mmm. I don't want to move now"  
"You're such a brat. I'll get that cloth"  
"I'm not going anywhere"  
With legs hanging over the bed end off the the end of the bed, Levi couldn't help the small laugh he gave at the sight.

Cleaning himself up first, he returned to their room to find Eren had moved. The note now scrunched up in his hands as he glared down at it  
"Eren"  
"What is this? Where did you get this!?"  
"It was on the door"  
His words meek when compared to Eren's anger  
"Where you going to tell me?"  
"I didn't know how to"  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could have figured it out sometime before sucking my dick"  
"Look. I found it this morning. I don't know who left it. I don't know what it's supposed to mean. I was going to tell you, but you're already under enough stress. You've only got a few weeks of your pregnancy..."  
"You were going to wait weeks?! To tell me that someone's knows it's us living here? They clearly can't be from the Survey Corps because they didn't call out your name and Hanji would have tried to get in. This, whatever this is, it means we're not safe here anymore"  
Gasping, Eren hunched forward, his scent turning pained. Rushing to him, Levi squatted down, placing his hands over Eren's  
"This is why I didn't want you to worry. This. I don't want anything happening to you, or our baby"  
"But we can't fucking stay"  
"I was waiting to see what there next move would be"  
"Yeah. And what if it was to kill me? Or even worse, what if they went after you?!"  
Distress was pouring off his lover  
"I just wanted you to be relaxed and to be able to give birth comfortably and safely"  
"I can't do that here. Not now..."  
Levi shook his head quickly, cutting Eren off  
"We don't know that... they didn't try anything last night, even they had to know we were home"  
"They know I'm here!"  
"And I will protect you"  
"We can't stay here"  
"Where the fuck do you want to go, then? We can't go back to the castle. We can't go all the way back to the farmhouse near Stohess. Where, Eren?"  
"I don't know. Fuuuuck..."  
"You need to try and calm down"  
"Don't tell me I need to fucking calm down. I already know I do!"  
"Look. Let me clean you up at least?"  
"Fine. Then we're fucking packing"  
"We can't just leave"  
"Then I'll leave"  
"And how are you going to do that?"  
"I'll ride..."  
Levi wisely bit his tongue. Eren wasn't going to be able to get up on a horse, let alone get comfortable if he did  
"Fuck. I wish you'd fucking told me when I woke"  
"It was shitty of me"  
"Yes. It was. I'm trying my fucking hardest for you. I need you to be honest back"  
"I'm sorry"  
"Don't say that. You make me feel even fucking worse"  
"Then what I am supposed to say?"  
"I don't know. Just give me the cloth and let me think"  
"I don't know if you..."  
"I've got the rifle. I'll shoot anyone who's not you"  
"Alright. Ok. I'll see about making breakfast. Is that ok?"  
Eren scowled at him, but nodded, easing himself back on the bed so Levi could clean him up  
"Your child wants fruit"  
"I'll see what I can do"  
"Thank you"  
It wasn't much, but with a cranky and worried fiancé, it was the best he could hope for. Though, Eren had managed to make him feel like the shittiest person alive for not telling him. He'd have to go all out for breakfast if he wanted Eren to let him close enough to keep him safe.


	50. Chapter 50

Eren was packing. There was no way he could stay... no way they could stay. Not with someone knowing who they were and not with a letter like that left on their front doorstep. "Shinganshima is open". What did that even mean? Had someone cleared the rubble? Ignoring the pains flaring through his lower stomach, he shoved Levi's clothes further into the bottom of the backpack he was using. He wouldn't take his journal or the list, in case they fell into the wrong hands, and unless anyone actually saw him hiding the documents, no one would find them. Grabbing another shirt, he shoved it down on top of the previous one. He just wanted somewhere fucking safe to give birth. He'd started nesting. He'd started stealing Levi clothes and blanket again, making his own little den in the store room. He had it all mentally mapped out, but some piece of trash had to come and ruin that. If he could run, he would. He'd leave Levi here and take whatever was coming his way. His fiancé didn't deserve to be hurt, or in pain, or to have his life placed in danger even further... but Levi wouldn't like it if he did try to run on his own. And besides, he'd never get far. Not like this. Pausing as he picked up a pair of his alpha's pants, his ears caught the cracking of something. Walking over to the window, he stayed out of sight as he pushed the pane up, letting the outside scents in. The same scents from the previous night were back. His heart starting to race as his mind screamed that they were in danger. He'd just made it to the bedroom door, when there was bang, and the sound of shattering glass. His heart stopped as he growled. Someone had dared shoot at their fucking house. His next thought was the realisation that Levi was downstairs, alone. Ripping the door open, he bumped painfully into the doorframe as he tried to rush to Levi. His baby and body protesting his careless moves.

After nearly falling down the stairs, he didn't have to go far to find Levi. His alpha laying on the living room floor with a pool of blood spreading out beneath him. Screaming, he half slipped on it as he threw himself down beside Levi  
"Levi!"  
Ripping his shirt open, the blood was pouring from a single gunshot wound to his mates right lung. Black goop was running from his mouth, while black tendrils extended from the wound   
"Levi! Shit. Shit... come on!"  
Shaking him, Levi didn't stir. Something was wrong. A bullet wouldn't take down Levi like this. Sinking his own teeth into his wrist, he tore at the skin until his blood began to flow, not caring about hurting Levi further as he rushed to push his bleeding arm into his mouth. What the fuck was happening?! Why wasn't Levi waking up?! And why was he shot? He hadn't done anything. He hadn't hurt anyone... anyone who hadn't deserved it.

Behind the pair of them, the front door slowly creaked open. Eren snarled, baring his teeth, as he moved to shield Levi from the approaching threat. The man before him was stupidly huge and kind of scruffy looking. His scent almost, but not quite familiar. He didn't know the man, but he knew he knew traces of that scent from somewhere. Snarling again, he pulled Levi up to him, glaring in open hostility   
"Eren..."  
"Who the fuck are you!? Did you do this? Did you fucking hurt him?!"  
"We only want to talk"  
"You don't fucking shoot innocent people, when you just want to fucking talk... come on, Levi. Wake up!"  
His blood should be working! It should be doing something! Moaning in pain, he clutched Levi tighter   
"What did you do to him?!"  
"It's ghouls blood. I expect he'll recover with no ill effects. Eren..."  
"I don't want to hear it! Whatever you're going to say! Get out! Get out and leave us alone!"  
"My name is Zeke. Please, we need to talk to you"  
"Talk?! After you do this to my fiancé!? Get the fuck out before I fucking kill you!"  
"Please. You have to understand. Our kind doesn't take kindly to vampires..."  
"Your kind?! What kind is that? The type who shoots an unarmed man, without any reason!"  
He sounded hysterical, but Eren felt he had ever right to be. Ghoul's blood was the shit Phil had infected Levi with, and that had taken ages to heal! Even with Levi hiding it  
"Werewolf. Like you"  
Eren growled  
"You're lying!"  
"I promise you I'm not"  
"Like I can believe anything that comes out your mouth!"  
"Eren, please. You have to understand how important you are to us!"  
"Stop saying my name! What gives you the right?!"  
"I knew your father"  
Eren's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing   
"Grisha was not my father"  
"I knew your father before he came here. We lost track of him, then Shinganshima was breached and we believed his whole family dead... until you showed up"  
"That was years ago! You should know he's dead! They're all dead!"  
Zeke frowned at his words  
"You believe Grisha's dead?"  
"Of course he fucking is. He's been gone for 7 years now. The Government did everything in their power to kill him. He's probably rotting somewhere or werewolf food!"  
It hurt to reduce Grisha down to something so crass. He hated the man... but... it still hurt. Whimpering, he placed his hand on his stomach  
"Eren. Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"  
"I need you out of my fucking house, and I need my fiancé to wake up!"  
"How far along are you?"  
"How is that any of your business?"  
Zeke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in manner that was strongly reminiscent of Erwin, except Zeke wore glasses  
"Eren. Please. I need to know what happened to Grisha and what happened to you. What does the Government know? Do they know he came from beyond the wall? We're on the same side. I'm here to save you from all of this!"  
Eren barked out a crazy sounding laugh  
"I don't know anything! Dad left and he never came back! The Government knew about him! That's why they destroyed Shinganshima! That's why they destroyed the gates. Just please... I don't know any more than that. He left a journal, but the Government took it... Levi could have helped you, but you fucking shot him!"  
His alpha was growing cold and clammy in his hold. His blood still running from the wound in his chest. Eren didn't know what to do. He just wanted to kill this Zeke person! He wanted him gone and dead!  
"Grisha was from my pack. He was banished to the walls for what he'd done"  
"If you want to preach about all the bad shit he did, find someone else. I already fucking know"  
His stomach hurt so fucking bad, but his heart hurt even worse. He was terrified Levi was really dying and that he wouldn't be able to save him  
"You have to understand. Vampires are natural predators for our kind. They feed on our blood and strength"  
"Levi isn't a predator! He's not even a full blood! And you still shot him full of ghoul blood! He never hurt you!"  
"But he could turn..."  
"He's not going to turn on me. Or our baby!"  
"Do you know the kind of child you are carrying!? Do you know how sinful this pregnancy is?! You wouldn't because you've had no one to educate you. You don't know that our kind has nearly been exterminated at the hands of vampires"  
Laying Levi down carefully, Eren pulled himself to his feet. Marching over to Zeke, he snarled as he pushed the man towards the door  
"You say you want to talk, but you have done nothing but insult me and my alpha from the moment you stepped foot into our house. I don't care how you knew Grisha or that you're from beyond the walls. There is nothing that will make me listen to you. Absolutely nothing"  
"You see him as your alpha? A vampire?! Then you chose to die in ignorance?"  
"I choose to live my life with Levi! I don't care if you're a Lycan like I am. Or a ghost or a vampire or a ghoul. You're an arsehole!"  
"It's a shame you feel that way. The wall is open between here and Shinganshima. We hoped to bring you home to our pack. Our father might have been a traitor to his blood, but I expected my brother to be better than this"  
"Brother?"  
Zeke pulled himself up to his full height... like that was going to intimidate him! Fuck Zeke! He had no idea just how angry a very heavily pregnant Eren could be   
"I am from dad's first marriage. All my life I've lived under his shame. I hoped to save you from the same fate"  
Eren felt like someone had smacked him over the head... repeatedly. Since when did he have a brother? Did Levi know about this? Had his mum? Why had Grisha been kicked out of his pack? What had... grunting, his child kicked harder and harder. Grabbing the back of the lounge chair for support, he felt something wet running down between his legs. No. No. No. This couldn't be happening! Grinding his teeth together, he spat the words out  
"Get out of my house before I slaughter you. If I ever see you again, I will tear your body to shreds!"  
Zeke eyed him sadly  
"Eren, you can run. But you can never escape your bloodline. You are part wolf, and you will never be welcome within the walls. I pray for your sake that you come to see, I only had your best intentions in mind"  
Backing towards the door, Zeke gave him one more sad look before disappearing out of it. Crumbling on the spot, he whimpered in pain. Tears rushing down his face as he let out a broken howl.

With one hand holding his stomach, Eren dragged himself back over to Levi, hefting him back into his hold as he nuzzled into his hair. He couldn't lose Levi. Not when it felt like he was losing himself. Brushing Levi's hair back from his face, he shoved his still bleeding wrist into Levi's mouth  
"Please... please Levi... don't leave me"  
He needed help. He was panicking too much to even help himself. Not able to think straight, his fingers slipped from Levi's hair, and fell to his chest. Spreading his fingers out, his fingertips brushed against the bullet wound, a sensation of burning bubbling through them as they touched the black goop. Instead of drawing back, Eren sniffled and nodded to himself. He couldn't let Levi die. Even if he hurt him. Shoving his fingers in the wound, he fought against the pain, opening the site further forcefully until he felt the metal. There was so much fucking blood. Way too much for him to look at... but he used his fingers to work at it, glad his nails weren't as short as usual. Pulling it free, he threw the offending object away  
"See. See... you can wake up now. Please... Levi, it hurts... I need you..."

 

*  
Levi woke with a long snarl. His whole body fucking hurt, and to make things worse, something wet was under him, while something heavy was pinning him down. Blinking as he snarled again, reality slowly formed around him. The heavy thing on top of him was Eren?!? And the wet stuff was blood?! Was it his blood?! What the fuck had happened?! Placing a hand on Eren's shoulder, he shook his love, but Eren didn't move. Fuck. Shit...  
"Eren? Hey, brat?! Come on, wake up?"  
Hissing, Levi pushed himself up. Shit! What the fuck? He'd been fucking shot? Who shot him? Was it Eren? No. Shit that stank. Why couldn't they have fucking faced him?! He was sick of being fucking shot and how long had they been laying there?! Long enough for multiple scents to have ruined the smell of their house, and for boot prints to be all around them. What did they even want with them?!  
"Eren?"  
Pulling Eren off his midsection, his fiancé was limp in his hold. His cheeks red, but his skin pale. Placing his fingers to Eren's throat, he was relieved to find Eren's pulse, even if it was weak. Sliding his heavy hand down, he closed his eyes and tried to push the throbbing of his own body out the way. It felt like an eternity passed before he felt their child move and he could breathe again. Coughing, he spat to the side, feeling like something had died in his mouth. How long ago had he been shot? Had Eren been shot? Was that why he was slumped over him? There were too many questions, and not enough answers. He needed Eren. He needed his brat to wake.

Using every single bit of energy he had, he struggled up the stairs with Eren. The teen whimpering in his sleep, or whatever this unconsciousness was. Someone had hurt his mate and he'd been useless again. Eren needed help. More help than he could give him... but he couldn't fucking get help, because some Maria Damn Arsehole had had the nerve to fucking shoot him! Huffing and snarling, he got Eren onto their bed. His brain was working a million miles and hour as it tried to wake up and keep up with what was going on. Eren. Eren needed help... feeling what he thought to be vomit rising in his throat, he turned and hurled, black goop and red blood splattering across the floorboards. That really couldn't be good... but he had no time for that... what had Hanji said? When they thought Eren might be miscarrying? His omega needed to lay on his back and stay still. He could do that.

Stripping Eren, he couldn't deny he was scared shitless by the amount of blood across the teen's arse and legs. He couldn't tell if it was his from being shot or if Eren was possibly in labour or even losing their child. He couldn't stop his tears or stop his hands from shaking as he tried to make Eren comfortable. All this would be easier if he wasn't verging on passing back out, or drooling blood and black shit from his mouth like shitty idiot. Taking Eren's left wrist, he scrunched his nose up in disgust. It reminded him too much of Eren's prone form in that nest of vampires. The bites clumsy, the skin and wound looking half chewed. Not the kind of nice, neat bite he'd have given his lover while in his rational mind. Even worse was the crusty scabbing over the wound, the slightest bump had it bleeding again. He needed to wrap the wounds. Once he got that done, he could rest.

Heading into the supply room, Levi found the room too clean. Unknown scents lingered in the air, while everything was just... too clean. Someone had clearly been in there while they'd been unconscious. He had absolutely no idea why. They didn't have anything of any value, other then Eren, and they'd left him lover unconscious across him. Grabbing a thick piece of gauze, he shoved it in his mouth, before grabbing a bandage for Eren's wrist. He didn't know what to give him to help. He didn't know the herbs like Eren did, or if any of them would help. Returning to Eren, he climbed into bed beside him, taking his wrist carefully back into his hold and bandaging it firmly, but not too tightly. With the gauze under his lips, he laid his head on Eren's chest, listening to his beating heart. Why the fuck did he have to be so fucking useless?

 

*  
Levi supposed he passed out again, due to the fact screaming woke him. Moaning and whimpering, Eren tried to curl his fevered form away from the sound of screeching. His own body was burning a fever just as badly as Eren's, and whoever was screaming didn't help. Placing himself between the door and Eren, he bared his teeth as it creaked open  
"Levi!"  
Fucking-Shitty-Fucking-Glasses  
"What happened?! Is that blood? Are you hurt, oh my... Eren!"  
Striding over to Eren, Hanji placed her hand on his forehead  
"Levi, he's burning up! We need to cool him back down!"  
Growling, he slapped her hand off his mate. She had no right touching him  
"You're hurt too? Levi, what happened here? What's that black stuff on you? And what happened to Eren?"  
"We were attacked"  
Hanji's eyes went wide, before nodding quickly   
"Mike thought he smelt something off around the castle, so Erwin sent us down to collect you"  
"Eren..."  
"Eren needs to cool back down. A fever isn't good for him or the baby. Is the blood downstairs from him or from you?"  
"I don't know. I was shot in the chest"  
"What is it with you and getting shot? Can you move?"  
"Not really"  
"Too bad. I want you to get him comfortable and spread his legs so I can examine him. I'm going to fetch water and a cloth to help bring that fever down"

Eren screamed when Levi tried to reposition him. His lover hadn't bled, but when he placed a hand on his swell, he found their baby's move sluggish. Whimpering and whining, Levi nuzzled into Eren's face, trying to comfort him  
"I'm here omega. I'm here"  
Continuing to nuzzle, eventually glassy green eyes blinked at him  
"Levi?"  
"Thank fuck... how are you feeling? You collapsed"  
Eren groaned, trying to roll towards him  
"You need to stay still for me. Shitty Glasses is just fetching water for your fever"  
"H-Hanji?"  
"Yeah. She's here. She came to get us"  
Eren's eyes widened, he started struggling as he tried to sit up  
"You... Zeke! Where is he! He shot you! G-Ghoul's blood"  
Who the fuck was Zeke?!?  
"I'm healing. Eren, listen to me carefully. Are you hurting? How does your stomach feel?"  
"Tender..."  
"You've got a fever"  
"Levi... the baby..."  
"It's alright. Hanji is going to examine you"  
"Don't... don't want... don't want to be touched"  
Eren faded back out. Hanji arriving a few seconds later with Armin. One was bad enough. He didn't need more people near Eren. Not like this!  
"Armin, just set the water down over there. Levi, I heard him scream"  
"He doesn't want to be touched"  
"Too bad. I need to make sure he isn't in labour or losing the baby. Armin, make a cold compress for him and keep your head that end of the sheets. Levi, see if you can get him to focus on you"

The moment Hanji touched Eren, he started thrashing, quietly begging not to be touched and that he'd good if they just left him alone. Avoiding looking directly at Armin, he tried to keep Eren as still as possible. His poor fiancé was delirious, his cries turning into garbled words, before he passed out again. Lowering the sheets back down over Eren's legs, Hanji let out a shaky breath  
"There was a little bit of a bleed, but he doesn't seem to be in active labour. We need to monitor him closely over the next few days"  
Armin blinked at Hanji. Levi had been trying to pretend the kid wasn't there  
"So we can't move him?"  
"No. I wouldn't recommend it. His body is under so much stress right now, it may force him to go into labour"  
"But Commander Smith wanted us to return right away"  
"I doubt he foresaw them already having been attacked. Levi, do you know anything about the attack?"  
"Only that I was fucking shot. Eren mentioned "ghoul's blood" and the name Zeke. We also had a note left on our doorstep saying that "Shinganshima is open". He's the only one who seems to know what's going on"  
"Do you have this note?"  
"I... I don't know. I don't know how long we were unconscious for"  
Wincing he tried to reposition himself, pain flared through his chest and down his arm with every slight move   
"Armin. Go take a sample of the blood downstairs. Make sure you get the blood and the black stuff"  
"There's some on the floor by your feet"  
Or on the gauze on the bed...  
"That looks fresher than the stuff downstairs. I'm going to mix a herbal tea for the fever. Make sure you don't let him up"  
Because he'd been so fucking close to shaking Eren awake and making him run back to the castle. Shitty Glasses. There was no fucking way Eren was going anywhere!

With Hanji and Armin gone, Levi lowered Eren's legs, hoping his love was more comfortable now. His mind kept spinning. Who the fuck was Zeke? And what had happened after he'd been shot? If they wanted Eren, they could have taken him away without him being able to fight back... so why hadn't they? Was Zeke the one the who left the note? Did Eren know Zeke? Were they friends? He didn't remember anyone named Zeke... not that he particularly cared for anyone in the Brat Squad, outside the standard obligation of them being his fiancés friends. He'd have to ask Hanji next time she came up to check on Eren. His own body was screaming at him to rest, but he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes, just in case things went from bad to worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed Ber and Ner! And Zeke!!


	51. Chapter 51

Eren's fever finally broke after a day and half of his fiancé mumbling deliriously. Hanji had the been only one Levi allowed into Eren's room, despite both Mikasa and Armin asking if they could see him. Eren just wasn't up for visitors. He cried and begged to be let go each time Hanji touched him, even if it was a simple accidental touch as she changed the cold compress. She didn't need to say it. The grim expression she wore each time she looked at Eren was more than enough to tell him how fragile Eren's state was right now. His body wasn't healing at all. His wrist wasn't infected, but Hanji couldn't stitch the wound due to Eren being so damn scared. Levi had tried, but his right arm was still practically useless thanks to the ghoul blood, though part of it may have also been from the psychological trauma over seeing Eren's wrist chewed so badly. He only ever fed from Eren's wrists at his insistence, not wanting to force the teen to remember the trauma of being chained, so for him to chew at it, felt like a betrayal of the trust Eren placed in him.

Forced to shower by Hanji, Levi wasn't in a great mood. Shitty black goop continued to ooze from his wound, despite the fact he'd examined it and found it bullet free. His gums and teeth also had the same unhealthy black tinge, which he'd barely been able to keep hidden from Hanji. He wasn't getting better. Just like Eren wasn't really getting all that better. He knew Eren didn't want to leave the house, not if he was given the choice, so he'd been keeping his mouth closed... but maybe taking Eren back to the castle really was the right thing to do. Hanji's lab was better equipped there, and the infirmary was actually designed to cope with trauma. Here was just their bed, and the kitchen table for surgery. Eren deserved more. He deserved all the medical care they could get, and more... so why was he hesitating? If this had been before the brat had wormed his way in under Levi's skin, and before he'd worked his way into his heart... or even if Eren had just been another shitty brat, he would have sent them to get professional help. So why couldn't he just make the call? Why was it when he looked at his fiancés pained face, all he could hear was Eren begging to stay here? It wasn't safe here. Eren had even started packing to leave the here... but... was he being selfish? This place had been their home. It was where he first admitted to Eren that he was tired of trying to deny his growing feelings for the brat. It was the place Eren wanted to go when they'd saved him. It'd been their small corner of the world while Eren got his feet back under him... was it him being selfish? He already knew he didn't want to share his brat. He didn't want people close to him. He didn't want Eren's attentions being on anyone other than him... but if Eren was going to die... Levi shook his head in disgust, lashing out and smashing the bathroom mirror with a satisfying clatter and tinkering. When had he become this weak and obsessed creature? When did his desires to monopolise Eren's existence mean that he was willing to risk Eren's life? He'd fallen. He'd fallen so fucking hard and so fucking far. Barely able to recognise the reflection of the man he eyed in disgust, in the pieces to shattered mirror glass. This. This wasn't him. He was "Humanities Strongest". He was the one they all called cold. The one who's glare sent soldiers scattering. The one who slade werewolves like he didn't care if he lived or died. He was the one who Eren had aspired to be like... so when had he become so soft? When had he given into his own deeper desires? When had he settled with just being Eren's lover? He yelled and screamed about protecting him, yet Eren could die and he hadn't raised his hand to do a single thing to help him. He needed to make the call... so why couldn't he do it? Was it fear that Eren would hate him? Maybe... probably... more than likely. His brat was headstrong and unstoppable... when it came to all the wrong things. He'd be mad. He'd yell. He'd probably even scream at him... Gripping the sink, he hung his head.

"Levi?"  
Letting herself into the bathroom, Hanji walked to his side. The woman not speaking as she turned him, forcing him into her tight embrace. With shaking fingers, Levi grabbed her jacket   
"I don't know what to do"  
"What do you want to do?"  
"He needs help"  
"He does... he is improving, but we've already been here for too long. Whoever attacked you may still be in the area, or they may have even moved to attack the castle"  
"He... he doesn't feel safe here. But he doesn't want to leave"  
"I know you want to respect his wishes, but the castle is better equipped to provide the medical care he needs"  
"I know. It... it scares me to see him like this"  
"I know it does. I know you'd do anything for him, but at what cost? You're not sleeping properly. You're not eating. I had to send you to shower. You look like shit"  
"Fuck you, four eyes"  
"Look. If you really have to ask Eren what he wants, then we'll wait"  
"I don't want to force him into a situation he doesn't want. I don't want him to feel like he's a prisoner again"  
"His fever has broken. I suspect he'll wake sooner rather than later"  
"And what do I tell him?"  
"The truth. He'd hate to see you like this"  
"Not a word of this..."  
"Or you'll kill me. I know. Can I ask for one tiny favour?"  
"It depends"  
"Try and get some sleep. Even if it's only an hour or two. Eren's going to be so worried about you..."  
"So for Eren's sake, I need to clean myself up?"  
"You're the one who said it. Levi, it's alright to love Eren and to want to make him happy, but you need to love you first. If you don't show yourself love, you're not going to be happy"  
"I have no idea what you're on about"  
"Just think about it"

Showing himself love? How was that all that different from his usual day? He'd shower. He'd dress. He'd make breakfast. He'd clean. He'd read or work the garden or chop the firewood or practice his hand to hand alone. And if Eren wanted his attention, he got ever last bit of it. Things only truly came to a grinding halt each time Eren was hurt or sick. That's when he seemed to lose his head. Maybe Eren's scent glands released something that begged him to stay close? He knew Eren couldn't control his scent... but his brat should know he'd be there for him... what had Eren told him the other day? He needed a hair cut? Ok... he could start there.

 

*  
Eren felt exhausted. He felt like his exhaustion had had sex with more exhaustion, and he was the by product of it all. Every part of his body felt heavy, so tired that the smallest touch send pain flaring through him. He couldn't even raise himself to go to the toilet or to get a glass of water, no matter how dry his mouth was. Laying next to him, Levi was snoring softly. His heart ached for his alpha. He looked so sick and pale, his beautiful featured marred by dark bags beneath his eyes. He hadn't meant to worry Levi. He hadn't meant to collapse after Zeke shot his fiancé. He'd been so scared that Levi wouldn't come back to him, that he'd lost consciousness. He'd done this to him. It was because of him that Levi was sick and suffering. Even if he could smell Hanji, and knew she was around, Hanji hadn't been able to help Levi.

Sliding his hand towards Levi, it felt like forever before his fingers brushed his alpha's. Looping their little fingers together, he couldn't help but feel guilt as Levi's silver-grey eyes fluttered open, still, he forced a smile. He didn't want Levi to keep worrying   
"Eren..."  
Levi's voice was rough, and raw. Hurting his already aching heart further  
"Levi..."  
"You had me worried brat"  
"I'm so sorry"  
Coughing weakly, he wrinkled his nose at the awkward lump now stuck in his throat  
"Water?"  
Nodding, Levi slid from beside him. Rounding the bed, Levi took the glass from the bedside table into his hold, before helping him up enough to sip. It felt amazing and he couldn't help but gulp it down thirstily. When the glass was drained, Levi placed it back down, a hand taking his left as he placed his other hand on Eren's forehead   
"How do you feel?"  
"Exhausted. The baby?"  
"Still in there. Hanji's worried"  
"I'm not doing good, am I?"  
"No... she wants to move you to the castle, but I needed to hear what you want"  
"If we go, will she help you?"  
"I'm fine"  
Eren frowned  
"You're sick. I can smell it... it's the bullet wound, from Zeke?"  
"It'll heal. This is about you, not me"  
"Levi... don't ask me to chose. I chose you and I trust you... even if you're lying to me about your wound"  
Levi sighed   
"It's not great"  
"He... Zeke said our baby is a sin... that you're only with me to feed from me"  
Levi's expressions darkened  
"Eren, who's Zeke? Why did he come after us? After you? I need to know more about him"  
Eren found himself almost stuttering   
"I. He. Grisha..."  
Before shaking his head. This was important and he needed to focus  
"Grisha's son. He's a shifter"  
"Your brother?"  
Levi sounded as confused as he was  
"He said so... from outside the world. He said he wanted to save me... he wanted to take me away, but I wouldn't leave you"  
The teen's eyes welled with tears   
"You wouldn't wake up. I couldn't make you feed. I tore my arm up, but you wouldn't take it... I was so fucking scared you were dying and I was losing you and the baby"  
Levi's fingers moved up to stroke his hair  
"I'm still here. You're not getting rid of me that easily. Thank you for saving me"  
"You're still sick"  
"I have you"  
"It's not the same... ow... your baby is kicking"  
Levi's sadness seemed to fade a little, his eyes moving up Eren's stomach. His poor alpha probably feared he was losing the baby too  
"Did you... you can touch it"  
"I don't want to hurt you. Hanji said it's important you rest and avoid stress"  
"I think it'll help. They always liked your touch"  
Levi released his aching hand, placing his hand gently, yet firmly on his swell. It took a few moments, but the alpha let out a shaky sob  
"Thank Maria"  
"Levi... I trust your choices. I'll follow you everywhere"  
"We'll go. You deserve more than this"  
"And you'll get Hanji to look at your wounds?"  
"I will"  
Giving Levi a warm smile, Eren let his eyes drift closed again. Levi was going to get checked... he was going to be alright... he couldn't describe how relieved he was  
"I love you"  
"I love you too, Eren. So much"

 

*  
Leaving Eren to sleep, Levi headed downstairs to face Hanji and the Brat Squad. He'd been avoiding them all, but now he had things he needed to talk about. Sighing heavily as he stepped off the stairs, the whole Brat Squad turned to look at him, while Hanji rose to her feet  
"Did you talk to him?"  
"Yeah. He wants to go. Mikasa, you're Eren's adoptive sister, did you ever hear the name Zeke?"  
Mikasa frowned, shaking her head   
"Are you sure? This isn't the time for games"  
"I don't know who or what you're talking about. How is Eren? Can we see him?"  
"Eren woke for a few minutes, but he's asleep again. So, you're certain you've never heard of Zeke? What about you, Armin?"  
"No, sir. Is something wrong?"  
"Possibly. Hanji, I need to talk to you"  
"I'll be right with you. Guys, if we're leaving, we need to pack"  
Jean scoffed  
"Pack what? Has Eren had the baby? We've all heard his screams. He must have right? Or is he still useless?"  
Fuck... the kid needed to learn how to keep his mouth shut  
"No. He's still heavily pregnant. None of you are to touch him, he can't handle being touched"  
Jean rolled his eyes. Snarling, Levi narrowed his  
"If anyone disobeys that direct order, I will find a werewolf and feed you to them, myself. Hurry up, Shitty Glasses"

Hanji followed him into the kitchen, Levi sinking down into the closest chair  
"What did he say?"  
"I was shot by a group of shifters, like him"  
Hanji's eyes lit up  
"There are more like Eren?"  
"Some guy named Zeke. He'd Eren's older brother"  
"That's a lie!"  
Levi closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists, trying not to snap at Mikasa's unwelcome interruption  
"Mikasa, go help the others. We need to leave as soon as possible"  
"Eren doesn't have a brother"  
"This doesn't concern you"  
"I would know if Eren had a brother... he would have told me..."  
Opening his eyes, he fixed Mikasa with a cold glare  
"This is none of your business"  
"Eren doesn't belong to you"  
"No. Eren is his own person, who has asked me to make all decisions on his behalf"  
Mikasa looked scandalised  
"Mikasa, Levi and I need to talk. Please return to the others"  
"I want to see Eren"  
"Don't you dare disturb him"  
"I won't disturb him. I'm his sister!"  
Growling, Levi pushed his chair back, marching over to the girl and grabbing her roughly by the shoulders  
"The last thing he wants or needs is to be disturbed right now. You'll only end up hurting him if you go to him right now"  
Shoving back, Levi stumbled. He opened his mouth to reply, but black spit ran from the corner. Grabbing cravat, he wiped at it  
"Just stay away from him"  
Mikasa stormed off, not commenting on what she'd just seen. He wasn't so lucky with Hanji  
"Want to tell me what that is?"  
"Spit"  
"It was black"  
"It's just left over from being fucking poisoned by Eren's shit brother"  
"Levi, if..."  
"I'm fine. Fucking drop it. We have more pressing concerns"  
He'd told Eren he'd get checked, and he would... once they were safely away from this place... Hanji threw her hands up in the air  
"Ok. Ok. What else did he say?"  
"That Zeke said he wanted to save him. He was the one who ripped up his own arm, because I wouldn't wake up"  
"I know that's been weighing on your mind"  
"How could it not be? You and I both know he's not ok"  
"Now that I know he was exposed to the Ghoul blood, it's possible that was to blame for his fever. I still don't want him stressing. Will you be able to assist in carrying him down to the cart?"  
"You brought a cart?"  
"For him. It'll be gentler on his body"  
"He can't stand being touched, so I'll need to stay with him. It'll be better if we can move with him without the others staring. He'll start worrying over them and what they're thinking of him"  
"He's too much of a sweetheart. I can send the kids out, then you can help him down"  
"I really want him to get some rest"  
"We don't have the luxury. If this Zeke has shown up to save Eren now, there has to be something more to it"  
"That's what I was thinking. Also, vampires and werewolves don't get on, according to him"  
"Really? You and Eren have been attracted to each other since day one. I'll have to remember to ask him later"  
"Just let him rest"  
"I didn't mean this very moment. Why don't you pack what you think you'll both need? You don't need to take everything"  
"Zeke's already been through the storeroom. I didn't tell Eren, but there were footprints through the house, and scents in the storeroom"  
"But if Zeke wanted to save Eren, why didn't he take him?"  
"Maybe he just wanted to know what Eren knew about Grisha? How the fuck am I supposed to know?"  
"Did he take anything?"  
"I don't know. Eren's been in there, so he would"  
"I'll leave asking him about it to you. I'll take a look and see if I can find anything out of place"  
"Just stay..."  
"Away from Eren. I know"

Levi packed their essentials. If Zeke really wanted something from them, he could have, and probably would have taken it already. He didn't want to take him back to the castle, but Zeke had basically declared him the enemy, which meant he needed all the back up he could get. Waiting until he was done with the packing, he then woke Eren. His omega giving him a dopey smile, as he reached out for him  
"You're frowning. Did Hanji give you bad news?"  
"No. But we're going back to the castle soon"  
"How's your wound?"  
"Healing. How do you feel?"  
"Sleepy. Sore. Sleepy... and I need to use the bathroom"  
At least Eren was perkier than he had been   
"The bathroom? I think I could help with that"  
"I might pass out again"  
"If you fall off the toilet, I promise to pick you up"  
"So romantic"  
"I try. But seriously, how do you feel?"  
"Like shit, and fat. Really, really fat"  
"Because you're really, really pregnant?"  
"Wait? When did that happen?"  
"You little shit"  
"Just help me up. Sina. I can already smell everyone"  
"Mikasa was ready to break you out"  
"She's the last person I want to break me out"  
"I'm glad to hear that. Let's get you to the bathroom"  
Moaning as he rose, Eren then sighed as he placed his hands on his stomach  
"Fuck you, and fuck your dick. Look how badly you knocked me up"  
"Keep that up and I'll knock you up all over again"  
"Maybe in the future... let's just get through this pregnancy first"  
So Eren wanted more children with him? He actually... he wanted more?! Levi's heart swelled with pride.

 

*  
Bundled up in half a dozen blankets, Levi had carried him down to the cart, where Eren was now trying to become as small as possible. The scents were almost overwhelming, and it was fucking freezing outside. No wonder every looked like they'd bitten into raw onions. Ok. So it might have been the fact he looked like shit and ready to go into labour, oh, and that Levi had threatened to kill anyone who touched him, but he could dream. It also might have been due to his tear stained face. He'd asked Levi to search the supply room for his journal and his papers, but his secret hiding spot was empty. He didn't know why someone, presumably Zeke, would take his letter to his baby. It wasn't some kind of secret code and didn't have any information on Grisha. It was private. The only reason he'd had to ask Levi to find it is because he was the more mobile one. Though no one seemed to notice just how sick he smelt... but Hanji was making Levi ride on their mare, so that meant he had to be alright... right?

Ignoring the way Sasha, Connie and Jean kept looking towards his stomach. Eren watched Levi, he frowned at the way Levi seemed to slump every so often. His lips drawn in pain. Thumping the side of the cart, Levi looked his way... before proceeding to scare the shit out of him as Levi slumped... and fell off his horse. Screaming his alpha's name, Hanji pulled the carriage to a stop. Levi was laying on the ground, his whole body spasming like he was having a seizure. Screaming for Levi again, he tried to push himself up, only for his stomach to give a solid throb of pain that took his breath away  
"Eren!"  
Scrambling across the back of the cart, Armin pulled him into his arms. His first desire was to run. The feel of Armin's skin against him made him want to vomit  
"Eren's calm down. Hanji's got him..."  
"Levi... fuck... fuck..."  
Grunting, he grabbed his stomach. His baby was kicking up a storm or something, because it all fucking hurt!  
"Hanji, Eren's making noises!"  
Jean's yelling was followed by an "oof, what the fuck!", as Mikasa smacked him hard enough to make Eren smile slightly through the pain. Jean totally deserved it  
"Get down here and help me lift him"  
"What? Why me?"  
"Because you're the one complaining!"

Laying Levi out, his friends were evicted from cart, as Eren cradled Levi's head the best he could. Levi's face was still pained, but his fiancé seemed calmer now he was in his arms  
"Eren, can you tell me more about the bullet wound?"  
"Why? He said he was going to talk to you"  
"He might have said that, but he continually insisted he was healing"  
"Fucking arsehole!"  
He would have punched Levi, had he been awake, and not the cause of Eren's heart attack   
"Eren, what happened when Levi was attacked?"  
"I... I was upstairs packing, when I heard the bang. Zeke shot him with a bullet filled with ghouls blood"  
"Where?"  
"He didn't show you? Or... chest. I pulled it out! He's supposed to be feeling better!"  
Hanji was less than gentle as she ripped open Levi's shirt. The wound in his lover's chest was black, and oozing  
"How far in was the bullet?"  
"I... I don't know..."  
Eren paled, swallowing hard to keep himself from vomiting. Clicking her fingers in his face, he looked from Levi's chest  
"Eren. I need you to focus. How far in was the bullet?"  
"I... I don't know. I used my nails to pull it out... he was... he was coughing up blood and black stuff... this... this is my fault"  
"Enough. You can pity yourself all you want, but it was Zeke's fault. Not yours. I need to open him up. There may be bullet fragments within in the wound"  
"Wouldn't... wouldn't they just heal out?"  
"He heals differently to you. As it is, he was shot in the chest. He should be dead from drowning on his own blood. Your blood was probably all that stopped that, but I have no idea. He never used to heal like this"  
"I don't know... I wasn't thinking. I couldn't think. I just wanted him to wake up"  
"I need to check it. Keep him under control?"  
"How am I supposed to do that?"  
"I'm sure you'll think of a way"  
"Should I feed him?"  
"By now, you probably know him better than any of us"  
Nodding, Eren then bit into his hand, before placing it in Levi's mouth. How could he have not told Hanji, and how could he just lie to him. He placed his trust in him. He told him he'd follow him... without Levi... he was just Eren. Tears rolled and dropped from his face onto his stomach  
"Eren, are you in pain? If it's too much, I can ask one of the others"  
"It hurts... but it hurts more that he lied to me"  
"He didn't want you to worry"  
"He still lied... I told him I'd follow him... Hanji... I... everything I have and everything I, is wrapped up in him"  
"He's tough. You both are, and so is that baby of yours"  
Eren's voice fell to a whisper  
"I'm so fucking scared, Hanji"  
"I know. But you're not alone"  
"I can't remember who I used to be"  
"You're still you. You both worry about each other so much, and you're both going to be just fine. Just try not to go into labour until I've stitched him up. I might be god like, but I've only got two hands"  
Eren snorted a very unsexy snot bubble  
"Gross... but I think he's drinking, so do it now"

When the bullet pierced Levi's chest, it'd fragmented. His fiancé had been walking around with slivers of bullet and rib bone in his fucking lungs. Anyone other than Levi, or him, wouldn't have survived... Levi barely survived... with his fiancé unconscious and propped up in his arms, the rest of the trip to castle was slow and awkward. He couldn't get comfortable. He couldn't stop shaking from the pain, and he couldn't let it show. He didn't want Levi to worry, even though he was royally pissed at the man. He could have fucking died, and it would have been because he'd kept his fucking mouth shut... When he was grown arse man who should fucking know better.

 

*  
Levi knew the moment he woke that he was in the shit with Eren. His fiancé was sitting next to him, reading some book, and they were in his room at the castle... He had no idea how Eren had managed the stairs, but the scowl on the teen's beautiful face told him to keep his mouth shut  
"Don't talk to me"  
"Can I ask what happened?"  
Eren snapped the book closed, slamming it down on the bedside table  
"Oh you know. You lied to my face. You walked around with bits of bone and bullet in your lung. You fell off your horse. You had a fucking seizure. You nearly stopped breathing. You didn't tell Hanji you were sick. You didn't even try to get help for yourself"  
"I was going to talk to her... I just wanted to be here for you"  
"Well you're going to fucking love this. We're under arrest"  
"We're what?"  
"Yeah. While you were fucking unconscious, I had to deal with Erwin. And everyone staring at the fat pregnant freak. There was also a werewolf attack in the capital, you know, I'm the "only one" who can shift"  
"What?"  
"God. Just go back to sleep, or clean or go take a shit. Don't speak to me"  
"Eren..."  
"Nope"  
"Come on"  
"Come on what?! No. I'm mad"  
"What can I do?"  
"Be an arsehole! Swear! Clean! I don't know, but be yourself for a fucking change! I don't want this. I don't want to be mad at you. I just... I just want you to take better care of yourself"  
"This, coming from you"  
"In my defence, I'm fucked in the head"  
"You're not fucked in the head. A little mixed up, but getting there"  
"Nooo. I'm pretty sure everyone thinks I'm crazy"  
"What did you do?"  
"I yelled at Erwin over you being unconscious, and calling us back here. When I didn't want to be here... then I made Mike carry you up here. Erwin said we weren't allowed to walk around the castle freely. I also threw up on his feet"  
Wrapping his arm around Eren, Levi snorted   
"I fucking love your style"  
"Don't try to sweet talk me. You have no idea what it's been like"  
"How long was I out?"  
"6 days"  
Levi shot up, Eren let out a giggle. A fucking giggle! He hadn't heard that sweet sound in far too long   
"3 days. That was payback for what you put me through"  
"And you? You're not..."  
"I'm not in labour. Hanji gave me a sedative. It like makes my body relaxed, but I can still think and walk and talk"  
"You took a sedative?"  
"I don't want to talk about it"  
"Eren, I'm sorry I hid this from you"  
"You lied to me"  
"I know"  
"You lied to Hanji"  
"That's nothing unusual"  
"You can't even be serious"  
"What am I supposed to say?"  
"I don't know. Ok. These last three days were tough. I don't like it here. I don't like the smells. I don't like the feeling. I don't like you being sick. Ok. I've gone back to being public enemy number one because other than my word, we have no evidence that Zeke even exists. There was an attack on the Capital, and everything has gone to fucking shit. I'm tried and I'm sore and Hanji insists that I need to be checked on every few hours. I can't take the look in her eyes. I can't take you nearly dying. I feel like I'm suffocating. So right now, I need you to get up, and take a shower. I need you to just pretend I'm not here, because I need space to think, but we're locked in here"  
"I'll talk to Erwin"  
"Erwin's only doing his job"  
"It's not his job to lock us up"  
"Just go take a shower or something"

Crawling from his bed, which he was now appreciating in a whole new light, Levi headed into his private bathroom. A thick layer of dust covered everything except for the toilet and shower. Moving to stand in front of his mirror, he eyed his reflection as he checked his mouth and gums, finding them finally free of that black shit. Next he stripped his shirt, pulling off the bandage around his chest as he did. The wound had lost its black tinge, but still looked red and angry. It was definitely going to scar. Sighing, he reached over and turned the shower on, letting the water run as he tried to actually process everything Eren had told him. Zeke was a shifter. There had been an attack on the Capital by werewolves. Zeke had to be the one behind the attack, but why? Was this what he wanted to save Eren from? Stripping off his pants, he threw the dirty clothes into the basket. If he'd been out for three days, Erwin could have visited Eren any number of times. He could have told the teen anything, and he could have filled Eren's head with all kinds of rubbish. His omega was around 35 weeks, which left 5 weeks... maybe even 4. He didn't know how long they'd been unconscious in the living room, before he'd woken. And had his wound really been that bad? Bone and bullet fragments? He shouldn't have been up and moving if it was. Levi was just about to step into the shower when he heard the door open. Was this why Eren wanted him out the room? Because he knew Hanji was coming? 

Having left the door partially open, he peaked through the gap. Hanji had a tray of food, and her usual creepy smile on her face. Cursing the loudness of the shower, he soon blessed it as the pair started talking   
"I see lover boy finally woke up"  
"You have great timing. He just got into the shower"  
"How is he? Is he cranky?"  
"He's an arsehole"  
"I know you're mad, but it's been three days"  
"Three days of being locked up"  
"I know sweetie. I know you're not happy, but you need to rest. Did you tell him?"  
"I told him about Erwin and the Capital"  
"How did he take it?"  
"He wants to talk to Erwin"  
"Of course he does. I know you and he don't see eye to eye, but this is for your own safety"  
"No. It would have been safer to send Mike to warn us"  
"You know he couldn't do that"  
"No. The only reason he didn't is because he wanted Levi back. I'm just dragged along because I'm the man eating monster"  
"Eren, you know none of us see you like that"  
"If you didn't, I wouldn't be trapped here"  
"You're on bedrest. You're lucky you didn't lose the baby"  
"I'm not so sure anymore"  
"You're not sure if you didn't lose it?"  
"No. It's still there. I can feel it moving still. I mean. If I was on my own, I could run"  
"That would only make you look guilty"  
"At least I would be doing something"  
"You are. That bleed scared all of us, even if you did throw up on Erwin before you collapsed"  
That little shit. He'd left that out! Now who was lying   
"It was mostly slick"  
"Eren..."  
"Don't Hanji. I'm being a good boy. I'm taking all your pills. I'm staying locked up. I'm doing what you all want"  
Hanji sighed heavily, sinking to sit on the edge of the bed beside Eren   
"We all have our obligations. In a perfect world, you'd be free to love Levi and to have your baby in peace"  
"In a perfect world, Levi wouldn't be like this. I don't want to be mad. I don't want to hate him. I don't want to be mean"  
"I know you don't, sweetie. I brought some soup up for lunch. It's fine, I tasted it myself"  
"Thanks Hanji, but I just want to sleep"  
"I've got to stay until that shorty gets out the shower. Now he's awake, Erwin will want to talk with him"  
"Then can you take him up to see him?"  
"You know I can't"  
"Then you can wait while I nap. I don't even care anymore"  
"If you didn't care, you wouldn't be like this. Once we find proof it was Zeke, we can clear your name"  
"How? By announcing that there's life beyond the walls? And that they're all monsters like me?"  
"Hey, just because you're upset, doesn't mean you can give up. We haven't given up on you, so don't give up on us"  
"Thanks Hanji... I still think I want to sleep. I don't feel that great"  
"Alright. And don't forget to watch for bleeds or fluid loss"  
"I know. And to monitor the baby's movements"  
"It was dangerous to move you from the house as it was"  
"I know. Just ignore me"  
"I would never ignore you"  
Eren let Hanji help him lay down, the women fussing with the pillows for him. Drawing back, Levi stepped under the shower. Angered over what he'd heard. He didn't know the full story, but his mind was more than happy to fill in the blanks. This pregnancy had been one drama after another. How could Eren possibly want to have another baby, when he wanted to run away as it was. He'd just been lectured over hiding things, now Eren was doing the same thing!

The shower helped bring his temper back under control. Dressed in just the towel around his waist, he stepped out into the bedroom  
"Do you need something, Shitty Glasses?"  
"Only to check on my favourite patient"  
"Eren's sleeping"  
"I know he is. But you're not! How are you feeling? And be honest. Eren's had a rough time over all of this"  
"Eren's had a rough time?"  
He didn't mean to sound so bitter. He was supposed to be playing it cool  
"He had a little bit of a bleed. He fainted from everything, and moving him was a bit too stressful. He's alright. He woke up as soon as he hit the ground. The first thing he did was ask me to make sure you were alright, and then he bossed Mike into bringing you up here, instead of the infirmary in case you got violent"  
"And when was he going to tell me all of this?"  
"You two are really hopeless. You both used to be so good at talking. Now you're both scared of hurting each other and you're both getting mad at each other. Do you know what he said? He said he didn't know who he was anymore and that he was nothing without you"  
"He's much more than nothing"  
"Then talk to him"  
"And what do I tell him?"  
"I don't know"  
"Well I don't know either"  
Caught up in talking to Hanji, Levi barely dodged the pillow hurled at him  
"You tell me when you're hurt! And you tell Hanji!"  
Hanji bit back her smile  
"You didn't tell me you had a bleed!"  
"Because I'm mad at you! It doesn't feel great, does it?! I'm also the reason you nearly fucking died!"  
"No. You're psychotic piece of shit brother is!"  
"He was after me. Me, who you were stuck with!"  
"I wasn't stuck! I could have left you there!"  
"Then why didn't you? I've been sick. I've been useless!"  
"You were doing so much better! Until all this shit happened! You just don't believe in yourself anymore!"  
"How can I?!"  
"Easily! You're still the same shitty brat I fell in love with!"  
"I don't feel like it! I feel like I'm draining the life out of you!"  
"You're not! I'm sick of hearing that! I wouldn't have asked you to marry me if I thought that!"  
"Then why didn't you talk to Hanji!"  
"Because... because... fuck. Shit. It's embarrassing. I keep saying I'll protect you, but I never protect you when it really counts!"  
"You protect me from myself! You guide me through my stupid panic attacks. You look after me and your baby! You put up with my shit and you make all this shit I can't forget bareable! I'm sick of relying on you, but you're the only one I can. You're the only one who knows..."  
Levi blinked. He hadn't thought of it like that. Eren had a shit ton of fears and triggers they'd had to navigate through together. But he had been helping... even when he felt useless and didn't even realise it. He'd just don't what had felt natural... so he wasn't the arsehole he thought he was?  
"You protected me from me. You protected our baby from me..."  
"If you can yell at each other, you can talk. I'll wait a few hours before letting Erwin know you're awake. And congratulations on your engagement"  
"Not a word"  
"Awww. You know we have to have a party"  
"We can have a party once this mess passes"  
"I'll hold you to it. Eren, let me know if anything changes. Or let Levi know..."  
"I hate you both"  
"We know"

Leaving them alone, Levi skipped getting dressed, in favour of climbing into bed next to Eren. His fiancé had his face hidden in his pillow  
"I'm sorry I fucked up"  
"No. It's my fault. I hid things from you because I didn't want you to worry, then got mad when you did the same thing"  
"That must mean we're pathetically in love if we care about each other's feelings and shit"  
"I love you. And honestly, I'm really over being pregnant. I want the baby, but I'm exhausted. My body is exhausted. I feel like I'm trapped inside myself"  
"I can't say I understand, but I get it. I don't like seeing you looking so tired and sick"  
"I just want to give birth in peace. I don't feel like I can do that here"  
"I wouldn't have brought you back here, if it wasn't for the fact you need the medical care. It's more than I can provide alone"  
"You didn't bring me back. The others did"  
"Did they say anything?"  
"After you collapsed, no one dared to"  
"I thought I could make it to the castle"  
"You shouldn't have tried. It took Hanji an hour to patch you up, and to get all the stuff out. An hour and it would have meant you wouldn't have been unconscious for three days"  
"What about you? What about the bleed?"  
"It was mostly slick, but with blood, it looked way worse. I don't know how this baby is still in here"  
"Somedays, I don't know either"  
"Levi, what are going to do. It had to have been Zeke, right? The outside world is finally turning against us..."  
"I don't know. I'll have to talk to with Erwin about the attack"  
"I don't think he believes me. The fact that I'm the only one who talked to Zeke, doesn't really mean much"  
"Mike caught those strange scents. And your notes were stolen"  
"They... I was writing to our baby. In case something happened to me. I wanted it to know how much I love them. And, I wrote a list about everything I could remember that the Government did to me. I wanted to process and when the time came, I thought it might help Hanji with her research"  
"You're always thinking, aren't you?"  
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm still chained down there. If this is all a dream, and that I'm dreaming about the wolves because I want someone to save me"  
"You're not down there..."  
"I know. But we both know how fucked up our minds can be"  
"That's true"  
"Levi... I'm, um, I'm sorry. I'm happy we could talk and I don't hate you"  
"Maybe we wouldn't have stressed each other out so badly, if we'd talked sooner"  
"Did my emotionally constipated fiancé just admit we need to talk about feelings more?"  
"Maybe. Don't tell anyone"  
"Given that the sentence didn't even have "shit" in it, there's no way they'd believe me. I actually miss your crappy jokes"  
"I'll up my game"  
"Good"  
"For now, do you want to cuddle?"  
"I'd love that. There's so many scents here. It's sent my senses into overdrive"  
"I'm sorry you had to face it all alone"  
"I'm calling do-over on this last like week or whatever"  
"We can't do-over a week"  
"Whatever. It was stress or something. We're better than this, right?"  
Freeing himself of the towel, Levi held his arms open for Eren to wriggle into. His fiancé immediately curling to him and nuzzling into his chest. It was tender, but holding Eren was worth it   
"Yeah, we are"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mumma Hanji knew Levi was spying and Eren wasn't sleeping... I missed Hanji...


	52. Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is eeeet!!!

Eren had had a rough night. His fiancé hadn't been able to settle, and the pain in his lower back had reduced him to sobs and screams if he so much as moved ever so slightly on the wrong angle. They'd tried a warm shower, and a warm bath. Levi had massaged Eren's tender lower back while his teen wept, but nothing had seemed to help. Even after Hanji had been summoned to their room, after someone had heard Eren's screams, she hadn't been able to provide much in the way of relief. She'd given him an injection to help with the pain, but it'd barely taken the edge off. That's when Levi had thrown her back out, and how Eren had ended up sitting up and sleeping in his arms, after using masturbation as pain relief. Eren always got sleepy after he came, and his poor omega was desperate for some kind of relief and release. It was only seconds after he'd brought Eren to orgasm that his teen finally slumped against him. His racing heart helping to spread the effects of the injection so much faster than if Eren had just been laying in bed. With Eren finally sleeping, Levi didn't dare move. He was supposed to have met with Erwin the previous day, but the filth of his room had gotten on his nerves, so he'd set about cleaning the whole place through. The only space not to cop his wrath was their bed, where he'd set Eren up with a beaten old journal he'd found in his desk the previous night. It might not be the one that Zeke stole, yet it gave Eren an outlet for his thoughts and feelings, and his omega had tearfully thanked him, before getting straight to work. When he thought about it, that was probably why Eren's back hurt, from laying on his side and writing for hours on end. Or they maybe over did it as they took pleasure in each other, both wanting to make sure the other was truly alright. But he thought his slow and gentle rhythm wouldn't have hurt his lover so much. He'd spooned up behind Eren so the teen wouldn't have to move or exert himself.

Hearing the key scrape in its lock, followed by the door creaking, Levi released his hold on Eren's spent dick. Once his omega had fallen asleep, he hadn't dared move, but he wasn't about to have a conversation while touching Eren so intimately. Smelling Erwin, Levi shushed him before the man could even open his mouth. In his sleep, Eren whined softly, probably sensing the intrusion. Kissing his scent gland, he nosed at the sweet oil leaking from it. Eren smelt too sweet, almost like the sickly sweet sweat of sickness  
"How is he? I hear he had a rough night. We thought he might be going into labour"  
"He's not. He's in pain, and I've only just gotten him to sleep, so spit it out and get out"  
"In that case, I need you to head up the Squad heading to Trost"  
"You're joking, right?"  
"We just received word that there was an attack on Hermina's outer gate this morning. The fear is that Trost will be next"  
"Erwin you told us to run. Then you brought us back, and locked us up like prisoners. I'm not doing shit for you. Not with Eren like this"  
"Do you think I wanted you here? Or wanted him here? We don't know what's going to happen during his labour, while you came back half dead"  
"Because of Zeke"  
"Ah yes, Eren's mythical brother"  
"Just cut the shit. Why do you want me to go?"  
Erwin gave a half laugh  
"You have no idea what kind of situation we're all in. There was a shifter attack in the Capital. Eren is the only known shifter. Both he and you have been missing for the last 3 months, and now this has happened. The Survey Corps has been accused of conspiring to commit treason. It's all I can do to keep the Military Police from storming the castle"  
"So you want to make a show of strength? We both know the shitty MP's aren't going to come out here, they're all a bunch of chicken shit cowards. Why can't Hanji lead the Brat Squad. Her and Mike can handle this"  
"She's already left. She left at first light for Hermina, before we got news of the attack"  
"So this is rescue mission then?"  
If Hanji reached Hermina and heard the news about a possible battle in Trost, she'd do everything she could to help, before turning her attention there...  
"Possibly. We don't have the numbers to fight this fight on all sides"  
"I'm not leaving Eren like this. Any small thing may send him into labour"  
"His friends..."  
"Will scare him"  
"He's still recovering? He was only with them for two months"  
"Only. You have no idea what they did to him, do you? 3 months isn't enough to erase those wounds"  
"He's spend more time out of there hands than he did being held"  
"Do you have any idea what they did to him? They flayed him alive. Whipped him while telling him he was monster who should be dead. They cut off his toes, his fingers, his hands, his feet, his legs, his arms. They boiled him like a hunk of meat. They poured hot oil over him, before setting him on fire. They cut him open to play with his organs. They sliced his skin off like it was cheese, to watch it regrow. They put a shitty feeding tube down his throat to keep the baby alive, and promised him they'd experiment on it next. He was lucky when he first came round, his memories were hidden by a thick cloud of drugs in his mind. Over the last three months, he's been remembering it all. They broke him in every single way they could, before leaving him to fucking drown. It took weeks for him to be able to shower. The first time he tried to take a bath, he was so fucking scared he passed out. He's still fucking scared and any of this shit could mean he loses the baby. He's had enough fucking complications and I will not lose my child because you feel the need to show everyone how big your dick is"  
He might have over exaggerated a few things, but for the most part, it was true  
"We all have our jobs to do"  
"Fuck off"  
"Two days. That's all I ask. Go to Trost. Show them you're back"  
"And then what? Make myself a target?"  
"Take them out if you have to, just get the heat off of us, or find some proof that Zeke exists"  
"The bullet wound isn't enough?"  
"Not when Eren could have been the one to shoot you"  
"Eren didn't shoot me. We didn't even have access to ghouls blood"  
"You and he are the only witnesses"  
"Then send Mike to sniff things out"  
"Mike is busy as it is"  
"I'm fucking busy"  
"You and Eren are supposed to be detained in the dungeon. So don't act like I'm not on your side"  
"You're not. Then only side you're on, is your own"  
Erwin's voice dropped several degrees  
"Two days Levi. You can fucking leave him alone for two days. You leave tonight"  
Erwin left, Levi wincing as he slammed the door harder than necessary. What the fuck was he supposed to tell Eren? Hanji could possibly be in trouble... and because it was for medical reasons, she would have taken Moblit along with her. Mike was off doing shit, and Eren's friends would only stress him further.

 

*  
Levi let Eren rouse naturally. His fiancé whimpering as he stretched, before climbing from Levi's hold with a long whine   
"Eren?"  
"Need to use the bathroom"  
"Do you need help?"  
"Please... fuck... it hurts"  
He was hoping Eren would feel better, especially given how long he'd let him sleep. Wincing at the pins and needles down his own legs, be moved to wrap an arm around Eren's waist  
"Is there anything I can do to help?"  
"Don't let go. My legs feel like jelly"  
"Probably because you fell asleep sitting up"  
"No... I don't know. I don't feel good"  
"Do you want to take a bath? Or have a shower?"  
"I think I want to sleep... just the thought of hot water is making me sick"  
Eren's body did feel clammy. Which wasn't great, especially with Hanji being gone  
"Why don't I help you wipe down at least? You'll feel better being clean"  
Eren hissed, his body growing tenser and tenser as Levi helped him into the bathroom  
"I'll grab the bucket from the bedroom, and give you a little privacy"  
"Thanks... I feel so fucking gross"  
This wasn't making telling Eren he had to leave any easier.

Letting Eren take care of his business, Levi grabbed the bucket from beside the bed. As much as Eren hated it, it saved the trips to the bathroom when his fiancé was in too much pain to move. Carrying it over to the bathroom, he knocked lightly on the door  
"Brat, you still shitting?!"  
"Yeah. Come back later"  
Snorting, Levi left Eren to it. He didn't want to leave him. He really didn't. But if he could find proof of Zeke, he could clear Eren's name... hopefully before the baby was born, and Eren could give birth in peace like he deserved. Grabbing his bag from their wardrobe, he threw a few things in it  
"Levi"  
"Eren?!"  
"I want to be clean!"  
Levi snorted, abandoning his bag on the bed and heading for the bathroom. His fiancé had shuffled into the shower   
"I thought I left you on the toilet?"  
"That's a whole five minutes ago. Can you help me have a cold shower? Or just a wash down with cold water? It feels too hot"  
"You want a cold shower?"  
"I don't want a shower at all, but you're right. I'll feel better when I'm clean"  
"Of course you will. Do you want me to do your hair too?"  
"Mmm. Please... then can we cuddle?"  
"We can talk while we cuddle"  
"I don't know if I have much to say"  
Eren was going to have plenty to say once Levi dropped the bomb that he was leaving on him  
"It's alright. Let's get you clean"  
Eren hummed in appreciation, his teen leaning in to kiss him as Levi moved to help him strip off his shirt.

The shower was brief, Eren barely able to remain standing as he started to cry from pain again, so Levi rushed to clean up him as gently and as thoroughly as he could. He'd have to tell Erwin where to stick it. He couldn't leave Eren like this. Leading his omega from the bathroom, Eren let out a gasp   
"Eren?!"  
"What... what's that?"  
Looking at the bag, Levi sighed. Eren wriggled from his hold. Putting his hands on his hips as he glared  
"That's what we need to talk about"  
"You're... you're leaving?! Is that why I can smell Erwin?! Is he making you leave?!"  
"Sit down, and we can talk"  
"I don't want to sit down. I want answers!"  
Levi rubbed at his face. Honesty. They'd just had huge argument over hiding things to protect each other  
"There was an attack on Hermina. The gate was destroyed and there were sightings of a shifter"  
"Zeke?!"  
"Possibly. Hanji has gone to check it out. They're worried Trost will be next"  
"I'm coming with you"  
"What?"  
"Zeke is my problem!"  
"You're in no condition to go"  
"Im fucking fine! I'm not letting you go anywhere without me"  
"It's only two days"  
"Two days! Two Days! Oh, that just makes everything ok then!"  
"You'll be..."  
"Coming with you! I'm not letting you face him alone! Not when I owe him for fucking shooting you!"  
"Eren..."  
"No! You're not leaving me here!"  
Glaring at him, Eren didn't seem to notice the small puddle on the floor between his legs   
"Eren, you need to calm down. Here, let's get you back into the bathroom"  
"What? Why?"  
"You've had an accident"  
"Don't try and change the topic. I think I'd know if I pissed myself"  
"You've literally got your feet either side of the puddle"  
"I... what?"  
Taking Eren's hand, he guided him to sit on their bed. His fiancé frowning severely  
"What's wrong?"  
"My arse is wet..."  
"Is it slick?"  
"I don't know. I mean, there was a little bit of pressure and then relief, but I thought it was slick"  
"Let me have a look"  
"I... Levi... what?"  
Eren's eyes went wide   
"You don't think... am I in labour?"  
Levi's own eyes widened, panic rushing up his throat  
"Let's just take a look"  
"Levi... I can't be in labour. It's too soon! You're leaving! What will I do? What do I do?"  
"Calm down. We don't know. How does your stomach feel? Is it sore? Are you having contractions?"  
"I don't know! Everything hurts!"  
Shit. Shit. Fuck. Where the fuck was Hanji!? What... what the fuck was he supposed to do?!   
"Levi... Levi, what do we do?!"  
"How the fuck should I know?! I've never done this!"  
"I..."  
Eren's lip quivered, making Levi feel like a shitty dick  
"Shit. That came out wrong. We need to see if it's slick"  
"What if it's not?"  
"Just calm down. Can you lay back for me?"  
"It hurts"  
"I need to examine you"  
Eren sniffled, Levi guiding him down because Eren tried to shoot back up as he laid back.

"Levi?"  
Levi was verging on panic. The fluid coming from his omega was definitely not slick. Nor was it semen, or water or oil or anything like that. It... Levi blinked at it  
"I..."  
"Levi... what's happening? Is there blood?"  
"I think you're in labour"  
"No"  
"Yeah"  
"No"  
"Eren"  
"I can't be in labour! It's too soon"  
"Tell your body that"  
"I'm telling both of you!"  
"We need to prepare"  
"Prepare?"  
"You're in labour"  
Eren's opening was slightly open, more than it should be. Holy Rose. This... this was happening   
"I..."  
"Levi... I can't... I can't have the baby. Hanji isn't here! No ones here! What if something goes wrong?! What do I do?"  
"You've read the books. I don't know how give birth! I have a penis!"  
"I can't remember! You should have read them too!"  
"You're the doctor's kid! I never had to give birth! I wasn't expecting you to go into labour!"  
Levi took a breath, taking his fingers through his hair before remembering he glad fluid on his fingers. His heart was racing. How would Eren even give birth? Did he push it out his arse like a giant shit? Fuck. It was going to tear Eren in two. Would his brat shit himself? He didn't want to see that. What if the baby came out wrong?! What if it looked like a wolf? What if this miniature Lycan came out? What was he supposed to do? What did human babies even need when they were born? Or wolf babies?! Did wolves have belly buttons? There was an umbilical cord or something? How did you cut the thing? How much blood was there going to be? What if something went wrong? What if cut the cord, but hit the baby! Was his kid even going to like him? What if it didn't look like him? What if started screaming?! His voice trembled. His chest felt too tight  
"Look, for now, we should get you settled"  
How did he sound calm? He wanted to throw up. He was fucking shitting himself, almost literally   
"Settled?!"  
"You're not going to be pushing any time soon"  
Eren whimpered, drawing his legs up as much as he could  
"Eren?"  
"I think it's starting... the pain's spreading"  
"We should get you to the infirmary"  
"No! Please! No one can see"  
"Eren"  
"No! No..."  
Eren broke down, sobbing into his pillow  
"You need help. I don't know what to do! I've never delivered a baby before!"  
"Hanji's not here! No ones here! I can't do this!"  
"Well I can't push it out for you!"  
"You put it in there!"  
"It's a little late for returns!"  
"Take your wonder dick and fuck off!"  
"Don't blame me. You wanted me as much as I wanted you"  
"This is all fucking Hanji's fault. She said I couldn't get pregnant!"  
"You've had weeks to get used to this"  
"Really?! Weeks?! Well that just makes the idea of pushing a huge thing out of my arse all that much better"  
"That thing, is our baby"  
"It fucking hurts"  
"Then move. Try and get comfortable"  
"How the fuck am I supposed to get comfortable?"  
"I don't know"  
"Then fix it"  
"It doesn't work like that"  
"Then do something... I can't do this"  
"You can do this... you've read the books"  
"The books were fucking scary"  
"You're barely dilated, it's going to be a while"  
"You said that"  
"I... we should get a towel for this fluid"  
"Whatever... I'm not in labour"  
Stubborn brat.

The contractions seemed to take forever to come and pass. Eren was laying on his side, whimpering every time would hit. His brat had finally found a position that worked for him. With his internal panic still spiralling, and no idea what he was supposed to actually do, Levi was stroking Eren's hair. His omega had wanted all their blankets, their bed now more blanket than anything else. The teen's face was hidden in one of his dirty shirts, because of something to do with the smell. Given he was panicking over Eren, every other single thought in his mind had disappeared, including the fact he was supposed to be leaving. When the door opened, even Levi was surprised by the snarl that came from his lips. He didn't want anyone in the room. He didn't want anyone touching Eren. He didn't want Eren paying attention to anyone  
"Levi, it's time to leave"  
Fucking Shitty Eyebrows  
"I'm not leaving"  
"I thought we were past this"  
"I'm not leaving"  
"We don't have time for this"  
"I'm not leaving Eren! He's in labour!"  
"He looks fine"  
"His water broke!"  
"That's convenient"  
Jumping off the bed, Levi stormed over to Erwin   
"Get the fuck out of here"  
"You're going on this mission!"  
"No I'm not!"  
"Yes you are!"  
"Eren is in labour!"  
"That's a low move, even for you"  
"Eren is in labour! Are your eyebrows so fucking thick that you don't see reality!"  
"Stop lying!"  
"I'm not lying! His fucking water broke while we were arguing over my leaving!"  
"I don't believe you!"  
Sidestepping him, Erwin stepped towards the bed. Grabbing the man's arm, he snarled   
"Don't you dare go near him!"  
"Someone needs to confirm this"  
"Are you fucking serious?! You're not touching him!"  
"Either you prove to me he's actually in labour, or you leave"  
"Why do I have to prove anything to you!? He's pregnant! It had to come out eventually!"  
"It's pretty convenient that he goes into labour the moment I tell you that you need to leave"  
"I told you he was in a fragile condition! Hanji fucking told you! He shouldn't have been moved from the house in the first place!"  
Eren moaned, rolling onto his back  
"Get out"  
"Eren, I understand you're in labour?"  
"Get out! I don't want you here"  
"Eren, come now. You know Levi can't stay. You don't need to fake being labour. It's only two days"  
Starting to sob, Eren covered his face  
"You need to leave"  
"Not without you"  
"He's in labour and you're treating him like he's lying"  
"How do you know he's not?"  
"His water broke! He's having contractions, and he's dilating. He's having this fucking baby"  
"I still haven't seen any evidence"  
"What do you want to see?! Do you want to look between my legs?! Is that it?!"  
Eren sounded hysterical, and livid  
"Get the fuck out of here!"  
"Levi..."  
"No. You heard Eren. He wants you gone"  
"I'm the Commanding Officer"  
"Who restrained us against our will!"  
"For your own safety"  
"I'm done with your shit. Get the fuck out before you lose your other arm"  
"Remember your place!"  
Levi snapped, his fist slamming into Erwin's jaw  
"Get the fuck out! He doesn't need this!"  
"So you're willing to risk Hanji's life?"  
"Don't you fucking turn this back on us. He's in labour. She would understand"  
"If he truly is in labour, you won't mind us moving him to the infirmary"  
"He can't move"  
"I'm sure you'll find a way, or we'll find one for you"  
Erwin gave zero fucks as he left them, but on the opposite side of the coin, Levi wanted to commit murder. Marching over, he pulled the door closed, before marching over to his desk and grabbing his chair. Propping the chair under the door handle, he growled in disgust, while Eren continued to whimper in distress.

 

*  
Eren's labour was progressing ridiculously slowly. His fiancé had worn himself out, whimpering and crying over Erwin. It'd been nearly 12 hours, since Eren's water had broken, and his teen hadn't been able to get any real rest. He spent his time getting up and walking, leaning, panting, swearing, gasping and whispering all the curses under the sun. Erwin had tried to open the door, but the chair had held. Yelling up a storm, he'd scared the fuck out of Eren. His brat begging him to go, just to calm Erwin down. Instead, he'd dragged the desk in front of the door, then the wardrobe, effectively barricading them in. The windows were shut, the blinds drawn. The light in the room provided by a the two small lanterns he'd found in the bathroom cupboard... which he definitely hadn't left there.

By the 28 hour mark, Eren was finally fitfully sleeping. His contractions were still five minutes apart, while he only looked slightly dilated. He didn't know if Eren was actually going to "open wider", given he was giving birth anally, but he knew there was no way their baby could possibly be birthed through such a small opening. Eren had also come back down with a fever. His body wracked with spasms which would wake him, and ruin any chance of getting real rest. He was so exhausted, he couldn't even find the energy to talk to him when he'd ask if he needed anything. 

At 36 hours, Levi was panicking. He'd spent every moment since Eren had gone into labour panicking, but now Eren was bleeding on top of everything else. He'd had to open the curtains to let a little light in. The lamp had hidden how sullen and drawn the teen's face was. Deep black bags hung under his eyes. When Levi had tried to move his legs to examine him, Eren hadn't had the strength to keep them spread. The towel beneath him was soaked a peach colour, with red hues dribbling into the mess. His brat was dying. That's what the smell in the room was telling him. They needed proper help, but no one was around. He didn't even know if Erwin was still around. Outside their room was silent, like they were the last people left alive.

 

At the 42 hour mark, Eren was finally dilated enough to push, but too weak. The blood between his legs now a thick puddle, his breathing laboured gasps, and his body like ice. Holding his limp hand, Levi was positioned between Eren's legs. He'd tried to stretch Eren to open him more, but blood had gushed from him. He didn't know what to do or say. He couldn't find the words to fix this and Eren could to was whine softly  
"Eren... come on. You can do this. Just follow your instincts"  
He didn't know what else to say. He didn't even know if Eren was really hearing him   
"Brat. You need to push"  
This wasn't working. Shit... ok...

Gathering Eren up, he forced the teen into a kneeling position, Eren weakly grabbing his arm while still slumped against him   
"Push. Come on... please"  
Changing position must have worked to bring Eren back to reality, the groan Eren gave made Levi's heart shoot up in hope  
"That's it! Come on, baby"  
He'd never called Eren "baby" before, and it kind of just slipped out. Keeping one hand between Eren's legs, with his fingers against Eren's bulging opening, he nuzzled into the teen  
"Another big push for me"  
The scream Eren gave sounded completely broken, he could feel Eren opening. He could feel the soft sticky of what he assumed to be birth covered hair  
"That's it. You're doing so good"  
Slumping again as the scream ended Eren panted for breath  
"That's it. Keep going. You've got this"  
Eren's screams slowly grew silent as he struggled to birth their child. The smell of blood overwhelming him, leaving his stomach rolling as their child was forced into the world. He had no idea it took so long to bring birth a child, or rather to get the head and shoulders free. The blood... so much more had spilled down Eren's legs, the shoulders had been stuck for so long Levi didn't know if their child would survive. The moment they were finally free, Eren fell back from him, leaving Levi to pull their baby into the world.

A beautiful baby girl. He couldn't describe the pride he felt as her small hand reached out. She was... she was just incredible  
"Eren, it's a girl. It's a girl..."  
Grabbing the closest towel, he laid her down so he could gently dab the mess of birth from her face  
"Eren?"  
His happiness dropped. Reaching out, he shook Eren by the stomach  
"Eren?!"  
More stuff was coming out his brat. He didn't know what to do. Their little girl was here, but Eren wasn't waking! Shaking, he grabbed the strip of rag and tried the cord like Eren had told him to, before cutting it free. Eren... his mind kept repeating his lover's name. With their baby in his arms, Levi crawled up the bed, relieved to find Eren's eyes open, and his teen breathing. Though he really didn't look good  
"Eren, she's perfect. Can you see her?"  
Tilting her down for him to see, Eren whined  
"Yes. She's here. You did so well baby. So well. She's perfect"  
Eren let out a strangled gasp of pain, which Levi didn't understand. Forcing himself to lay their daughter down, he climbed from the bed, rounding it, and leaning down to examine Eren. Fluid was still coming from Eren's horribly torn opening, thick clots? of what looked to be torn tissue had him gagging in his mouth. After birth covered his arse and thighs... but that wasn't the issue. Grabbing Eren, he rolled him onto his back, using a pillow to prop his hips up, as he tore away the messy towels and sheets  
"Fuck... ok, baby. You're ok. You're ok"

The moment their second child was birthed, Levi's heart dropped. He had no idea where Eren had found the strength to start pushing all over again. His mate incoherent with pain. The cord was wrapped tightly around his neck, and he'd never stood a chance. He'd tried everything he could to make him breathe, even cutting the cord the moment he'd seen it around their child's neck, knowing he was leaving the placenta and cord end inside his love. He rubbed at the small infant's chest, not willing to believe things could go so wrong. He didn't know if he felt a pulse, or if it was just his desperation, but he... he just couldn't do this.

With their twins laying together, Levi tried to clean up Eren. He wasn't healing, and the blood wasn't stopping. Their bed was ruined from the blood that dripped to the floor. He needed help. He couldn't do this alone anymore. Half crazed, he tore the furniture from the door, howling a howl Eren would have been proud of his kicked at the shitty piece of wood. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't... sinking down beside the door, he sobbed. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Hanji was supposed to be here. Eren was supposed to give birth, he was supposed begin to heal immediately. Their son wasn't supposed to have his cord around his mouth. There wasn't supposed to be so much blood. Looking down at his hands, he couldn't stop himself from vomiting. He was literally covered in Eren's blood. He didn't even know if his lover was alive. He was so fucking scared. Scared and alone.

Beside him, the door slowly opened. Someone screamed, and everything seemed to happen in a blur. One moment he was on the floor, and the next he was sitting in the chair he'd kicked across the room, holding his two children while Erwin talked at him. He couldn't make the words out. It felt like his head was underwater. He just felt so cold and sick. He couldn't bring himself to look at Eren. He couldn't bring himself to look over in case Eren wasn't... in case... another broken sob came from between his lips. He couldn't lose Eren. They hadn't decided on names. They hadn't planned for twins. 

Someone went to touch one of the twins, Levi growling in warning. He wanted them all to leave and to never come back. If Eren had been somewhere better, somewhere he felt safer, his birth might have been easier. His bright eyed brat wouldn't be...

 

*  
Levi was sure he was dreaming. His bed had been remade, and between him and Eren, their twins were swaddled bundles. His love was still pale, pain still causing his lips to twitch, but he was alive and breathing. Letting out a shaky breath, he pressed his hands to his face  
"Levi?"  
So now Erwin had to fuck with his dreams too?  
"Levi, are you awake?"  
"Fuck off"  
The bed dipped beside him  
"Eren's going to be relieved"  
"Can't you just leave us alone?"  
His voice sounded empty. He felt disconnected, but then again, this was a dream  
"You had a pretty big panic attack. Not that I blame you. I'm sorry I didn't believe Eren was in labour"  
"You're sorry?! That just makes it all better!"  
"Levi?"  
"Just fuck off. Let me die without your shitty input"  
"Why would you want to die?"  
"Because Eren..."  
"Eren is healing"  
"Is he?"  
"Armin helped stop the bleed, and stabilise him. He was awake for a few hours earlier"  
"I don't believe you"  
"Ask him yourself. You two have a lot to talk about"  
"Just fuck off"  
"I'm sorry. And congratulations"

Laying there, watching Eren, it seemed to take hours before he got the courage up to move. Even if this was a dream, he wanted to talk to Eren and tell him he loved him. His knees seemed unable to support him, so Levi leaned heavily on the bed as he made his way around to Eren. Kneeling, he placed his hand on Eren's shoulder, before resting his forehead on it  
"I'm so fucking sorry. I'm so sorry"  
Beneath him came a moan, but Levi didn't look up. Slowly Eren moved, and Levi flinched in preparation to be yelled at. Only, it didn't come  
"L-Levi?"  
"I'm sorry. You... I..."  
"Levi..."  
With a tangle of limbs, Levi was pulled into a weak hug. Eren sniffling against him   
"Levi... I'm so sorry!"  
"No... I'm sorry. You... you died and it was my fault"  
"I didn't die"  
"You're dead and this is dream!"  
"I'm not dead... but..."  
Levi shook his head  
"I failed you again"  
"I failed you! I couldn't even carry our baby right!"  
"No! No! Don't you say that!"  
"Levi... Levi, look at me"  
Eren's arms released him, taking his face in his hands and wiping at his tears as he was forced to look  
"I'm not dead"  
He looked dead. So pale and exhausted. Lips cracked and bloody. His scent almost borderline revolting   
"There was so much blood"  
"I'm sorry"  
Leaning in, Eren nuzzled into his face  
"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry"  
"You didn't do anything"  
"I failed you. I failed our baby"  
Baby? As in one!? So the boy...  
"You didn't fail me. You did everything right"  
"But..."  
"You didn't do anything wrong"  
"I did!"  
"No, baby. No. No, you're so perfect. You've always been perfect. You've always been..."  
"But she's sick"  
She? Their girl was sick? He didn't understand. She was the easier birth of the two. She started moving the moment she was born. She reached for him before she even let out her first cry!   
"What?"  
"She's sick... Armin thinks it's her heart"  
"And our boy?"  
"He's ok... I... I haven't fed them. You... you went crazy, but we're alone now"  
Their son was ok? How... He felt like his whole world had been flipped upside down  
"I don't remember"  
"Can we not talk now? Please. I want you to hold her"

Wriggling his body across to make space, Levi lifted their daughter over Eren. The small girl still looked just as perfect as the moment he'd first set eyes on her. Her soft pink lips and nose were definitely Eren's, while her black hair was definitely from him. He was completely lost in awe as he drank in her features  
"She's beautiful"  
"Like her mother"  
"I don't feel beautiful"  
"You are. You always have been, in your own way"  
Eren gave a sleepy kind of snort, before sobering  
"I'm sorry I let Armin touch them"  
"You said I went crazy?"  
"Erwin was talking you, while Mike was trying to stop the haemorrhaging. Apparently he came to Erwin's side to tell him I needed more help than Mike could give me and noticed how pale our daughter looked. When he reached out, you snapped"  
"I thought you were dead... I thought our son was dead..."  
"You tried to attack Armin, and Erwin. Mike forced them out. You were screaming at him, but then passed out. Armin told me when I woke up. He'd already wrapped the twins up, and placed them between us"  
"And you?"  
"Bled through most of the blankets. Started healing internally, but it's still super slow. We both owe Mike"  
Levi leant down and nuzzled into Eren's shoulder. Tears in his eyes yet again as he sniffled softly   
"I thought you were dead"  
"I'm sorry"  
"No... no. You did good, brat"  
"I couldn't feed them when I woke up... and I wanted you to be awake for it. I'm just so tired, Levi"  
"What can I do?"  
"Hold her... I... I don't want to lose her"  
Gently, Eren moved their son closer, nuzzling into he chubby face   
"They're so perfect. Our children, Eren"  
"He looks just like you"  
"I wouldn't go that far"  
"He's tiny and glaring at the world"  
"Shitty brat"  
"I... love them"  
"Yeah. I love them too. I'm so fucking proud of you, and of them"

While Levi continued to hold their daughter, Eren fell asleep with his face next to their son's. He longed to hold his baby boy, but Eren looked so happy with his face against the boys, so he didn't dare disturb them. Fussing with their daughter's blanket, green eyes blinked at him curiously. She really was perfect  
"You know, you look just like your mummy. And you're just like him. You've only been here a few hours, and you're already stressing the Sina out of me"  
The tiny girl yawned widely, before smacking her lips together   
"Your mum would say the exact same thing"  
He honestly couldn't believe that anything could be wrong with such a perfect person. Besides, what did Armin know?! The blonde coconut wasn't a fucking doctor. He had no right coming in here and telling Eren there was something wrong with their children. He could kindly find the first werewolf in the area, and jump. In fact, he was happy to push him. His little family was fucking perfect. And even if they hadn't expected twins, he adored them. Every single thing about them was perfect.


	53. Chapter 53

When Eren woke, his brat gave him the smallest of smile before wincing. Their son had started crying, and with his face against the boys, there was no way he couldn't have been woken by the noise. While Eren slept, Levi had moved to the other side of the bed, one hand resting on their son's hair as he held their daughter close. She'd gotten a little fussy, but had settled back down without the noise of her brother   
"Are you alright?"  
Eren yawned, nuzzling into their son's cheek   
"I'm still tired"  
"Other than that?"  
"I want to take a bath... but can you help me? I want to try feeding them"  
Eren's voice was low and shaky, like his fiancé was trying to hold in whatever else he was feeling  
"Is it better I let you move yourself or should I help?"  
"I don't think I can move"  
Kissing his daughter's forehead, he laid he beside her brother as he climbed from the bed. Walking to Eren's side, he placed his hand in the teen's, ignoring the fact there was dried blood on it  
"Are you ready?"  
"I'll roll, you pull?"  
"Something like that"  
Biting his lip, Eren's eyes were filled with pain as Levi helped him to sit up. Eren's whole lower half was still crusted with blood. It was like he hadn't tried to clean his fiancé up at all, and he realised that the bedding hadn't actually been changed, instead three thick blankets had been pulled up over the mess. Fucking shitty arseholes. Couldn't they have at least changed the bed for them?! For Eren! Whimpering, Eren shook his head  
"Fuck..."  
"Maybe laying down was better?"  
"I can't feed them like that... they have to be hungry"  
"Who do you want first?"  
"Our girl. You need time with your son"  
There was something in Eren's tone that was rubbing him the wrong way. He didn't know what it was, or if he was imagining it, but he didn't love it.

 

*  
Trying to get their girl to take Eren's nipple had the teen in tears... without the actual tears. He was sniffling, his breathing shaky and his hands shaking as he begged her. She really wasn't sure about it all, and Eren didn't know what he was doing wrong. He couldn't cry. He wouldn't cry again. Not when his daughter was sick, and he'd failed to be a good enough mother to keep her healthy and safe. He'd failed so fucking badly, and both his children and Levi had suffered for it. Reaching between breast and their daughter, Eren tried not to wince as Levi rolled his tender nipple between his thumb and pointer finger. He had no idea what Levi was trying to do. Not until the first drops of milk formed on the bud  
"Try now"  
He didn't see why it'd make such a difference. Their daughter's lips had briefly formed around his nipple, but she hadn't latched. Tilting his breast, he guided her mouth back to the nipple, almost crying in relief as she finally latched, the first few sucks were tentative, but when she latched and actually started to feed... his heart swelled with pride. He was actually doing this. He was feeding her daughter!  
"See. You can do this. I know you can. I'm so proud of you"  
His happiness dropped at Levi's praise. His lover had showered him with so many kind words that he didn't feel he deserved. Words like "proud" and "beautiful" felt more like stab wounds to the heart. He wasn't beautiful. His body was fucking broken. Between his legs oozed and throbbed. He'd tried so hard to keep it together when he'd filled Levi in, and it wasn't like he wanted to die... he just felt completely and totally overwhelmed with guilt.

Levi took their baby girl so he could try to feed his son, his right breast had leaked so much, he wondered if there was enough for the little boy. He didn't even have names for them. He'd thought of some, but looking at the pair, none of them seemed just right. Looking up to Levi, he found him smiling as he rocked their daughter on his shoulder. He was such a natural at this, and it was clear he'd bonded deeply with their daughter  
"The bed's still a mess. I want to change the blankets and sheets, do you feel up for a bath?"  
He couldn't even sit up straight. And bathing was the last thing on his mind, even if he felt gross  
"I was thinking the warm water might help to relax your muscles"  
His muscles felt like solidified jelly. Sore and stiff, yet unable to support him in the slightest   
"I can't walk"  
"I'll carry you. These two probably need baths too, don't you?"  
Looking back down to his son, Eren swallowed down the lump of emotion in his throat. Maybe he would feel better with a bath?   
"A bath would be good"  
"I'll go run the water"  
How was Levi so ok?! He'd tried to attack Armin and Erwin, before collapsing. Was he hiding something all over again? And what was supposed to be wrong with their son? He looked happy. His small hand was against Eren's breast, like he was trying to grip him. He didn't understand. He couldn't even remember the birth, other than the pain and fear. Had he tried to hurt them? Is that why there was something wrong with their boy? He loved them. He loved them both so fucking much. From the moment he'd come to, and had actually been able to see them, he loved them.

Levi took their son from him, first burping the boy, then laying him beside his sister. Half kneeling on their bed, Levi leaned in  
"I'm going to lift you, are you ready?"  
"As I'll ever be"  
"It's probably going to feel like shit"  
"It already feels pretty crappy"  
"Fuck, I love you. Here, sling your arm around me. If it hurts too much, I can find another way"  
"It's fine"  
It wasn't fine. The moment Levi lifted him, it felt like all his organs were going to fall through his arse. His muscles protested being made to fold, while the smell of blood made him gag. There was way too much. It clung to Levi. It clung to their bed. It clung to their blankets, stained their floor. It was terrifying to think it had all come from him  
"No, don't look at that. That can all be cleaned up"  
No it couldn't. The blood had ruined everything it had soaked into. There wasn't enough cold water and salt in the world to soak the stains free. The blankets he'd loved so dearly because Levi had bought them for him, were ruined. Everything was ruined...

Lowered into the bath, the water immediately turned pink as he tried to escape. It hurt. It hurt so fucking much. The open wounds burning as the soapy water engulfed them. He couldn't stop his scream, clawing at Levi's arms as he flailed  
"There's salt and soap in the water, the salt will help clean the wounds"  
A heads up would have been nice  
"Do you want me to join you?"  
"N-no"  
He didn't want Levi looking at him while he was like this. He didn't want him touching him or wiping him down  
"Will you be alright while I strip down the bed? I can't believe they made you sleep in that fucking filth"  
They hadn't wanted to move him once the bleeding slowed... Kissing his temple, Levi sighed softly  
"I'm so proud of you. Take all the time you need. I'll help you out once the bedding's changed"  
Eren nodded weakly, he was already falling back to sleep. He didn't even know if he had the strength to clean himself up properly.

When Levi left, the tears he promised he wouldn't shed rushed to his eyes. Crying seemed to be all he was really good at. Angered by his own weakness, he was less than gentle as he forced himself to scrub down. The water soon red with the dried blood and water else was coming from him. Sobbing, he scrubbed harder until his sobs turned to screams. Rushing back into the bathroom, Levi grabbed the cloth from his hands, throwing it across the bathroom before pulling him into a tight hug. Howling out his misery, he wanted to shift. He didn't want to have this conversation, wincing the moment Levi started talking  
"You're ok. You're ok. I've got you. I've got you, baby"  
He didn't like Levi calling him baby. He wasn't a baby. He wasn't a little kid. He wasn't anything. Keeping an arm around him, Levi used his free hand to pull the plug, water rushing from the tub   
"Eren, it's ok. Just let it out"  
"I'm so fucking sorry"  
"No, hey, you did nothing wrong"  
"She's going to die"  
"We don't know that"  
"It's my fault"  
"No. No it's not. She's strong. They both are, and until someone more qualified tells me something's wrong, I don't believe it"  
"They're both..."  
"Both perfect"  
"They're not! They're broken!"  
"No..."  
"They are... I couldn't even... this is all my fault!"  
Levi rocked him, again with one arm, turning the taps on behind him  
"It's not your fault. I was proud. I am proud. You did so good"  
Levi wasn't listening to him. He wasn't hearing anything he said. Closing his mouth, he trapped his bottom lip so he wouldn't lash out. After a few long minutes of silence, Levi spoke softly  
"Eren, if you could do anything. What would you do?"  
Run. Scream. Disappear before his children knew how much of a disappointment he was...  
"I'd take her to the ocean"  
"You want to take her to the ocean?"  
"I... I want her to see the world before she dies. I don't want her trapped in the walls"  
"I'll take you. I'll take the three of you, if that's what you want"  
It was a nice dream. But it'd only ever be a dream. He was just so tired.

 

*  
Eren fell asleep in the bath, the soap bubbles that clung to his body were pink. Washing him down, he noticed the vicious nail marks on Eren's thighs from scrubbing. The teen really wasn't ok. He'd already given up... it hurt to see him like this. Their children were so beautiful, but Eren had given up before even getting a second opinion.

Laying Eren on his side, Levi placed him in the recovery position so he could examine him. The teen was torn to shreds. His arse red and swollen, angry red tendrils extending from his lover's opening, while a small amount of blood leaked from the wounds. No doubt Eren was still in pain, but this was painful to even look at, and probably infected. Using the salve he kept for small injuries, he gently smeared it across the site, hushing Eren as he tried to wriggle away. They needed Hanji, or for Eren's body to get its shit together and start healing. He also needed to get Eren eating and drinking. Sleep, food and warm tea. Hopefully his mood would brighten when he didn't feel so miserable... Maybe he'd see then that he'd done nothing wrong, because Levi was honestly at a loss when it came to what to say.

With Eren covered and sleeping, Levi returned to the bathroom, cleaning out the bath of blood and gunk. Their children both needed baths, and though he had no idea what he was doing, he hated the idea of them sleeping in filth.

Keeping the water running, Levi bathed their daughter first. She didn't love the water. Crying the whole time, even though he made sure the water wasn't too warm for her sensitive skin. She was so adorable, even with her tears. Her chubby legs kicking as she protested being clean. Holding her, he smiled to himself. They made beautiful babies. Unlike his sister, their son was perfectly happy with being clean. He cried a little, but soon settled, even falling asleep as Levi washed his hair. Cleared from all the shit, he found both twins had small triangle shaped birthmarks on their hips, just above their chubby bums. He knew he was mentally using the word perfect way too much, but they really were.

With all four of them clean and dried, and resting in their bed, Levi was watching over his small family. He had his son laying on the left side of his chest, with their daughter on the right side, both naked and sleeping, while he was just shirtless. As their door opened, he couldn't find the energy to tell whoever it was to fuck off. He didn't expect it to be an exhausted looking Hanji  
"Oh my gosh! Erwin wasn't lying! Look at them!"  
Making sure they pair were still sleeping, he whispered loudly  
"When the fuck did you get back?"  
"No swearing in front of the babies"  
"Hanji"  
"Fine. I just got back. I hear Eren had a bad time"  
"Understatement of the century. 40 hours in labour, major bleeding, fever. Tearing and signs of infection. Then that blonde coconut shit told him something is wrong with our daughter"  
"Erwin told me that too"  
Creeping over, she wriggled her fingers towards the twins  
"You're not touching them. You're filthy"  
"I just got back, I came straight up once I heard the news"  
"Then go clean up. You're only allowed to touch to make sure they're ok"  
"I want cuddles"  
"Just go already"  
Hanji took minutes to clean up, but she'd shed her dirty jacket, and her arms were washed up to her elbows. Coming back to the bed, she wriggled her fingers again  
"Who's up first"  
"Our boy... he was born with the cord around his neck"  
Hanji's face fell, but she nodded quickly  
"Alright. Let's make sure he's ok"  
"He wasn't breathing, and I couldn't find his heartbeat"  
"Let me look. No, it's not a good sign the cord was around his neck. How tight was it, and how long was it looped around?"  
"Tight. I cut it before Eren had finished pushing him out"  
"Ok. Let me take him"

Levi sat up as Hanji examined their boy, cleaning up the cord cut and retying the end. Checking his eyes, she smiled down as he wriggled   
"I know bubba! Aunty Hanji wants all the cuddles, but I've gotta make sure you're ok! Look at you! He'd gorgeous"  
Levi cast a glance to Eren, his fiancé seemed to still be sleeping  
"Just don't tell Eren that"  
"What? Why?"  
"He's not in a good place. He blames himself for the labour going wrong, and for going into labour too soon"  
"He's not happy?"  
"He had a breakdown in the bath. He tore his legs up"  
"Alright. I'll have a little talk with him, but this handsome little soldier is just fine. We won't know if there was any brain damage until he starts hitting his developmental milestones. His lungs sound good, so does his heart and he's completely and totally adorable"  
That was a relief. But that meant their daughter was up next  
"Do you have names yet?"  
"No. Eren's still recovering. There was so much blood, and he wasn't healing"  
"I'll take a look at him too, daddy"  
"Don't ever call me daddy again"  
"Yeah. No. That didn't feel all that nice. Here, let me take our princess"  
"She was born first. Eren was completely out of it and exhausted before even beginning to push"  
"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. Trost was hit, both gates at once. It was a damn nightmare"  
"Then what are you doing back?"  
"It was easier to treat casualties here. Mike's helping Moblit get everyone settled. He's got the Brat's too"  
"I was wondering why no one was annoying us"  
"I'm annoying enough! Here we go, back to Daddy Levi. And come to me princess"  
Her examination took longer than his, Hanji frowning down at the tiny girl  
"What is it?"  
"Her heart is a little slow, and her lungs sound wet. It's actually not all that uncommon, but it does mean she's not getting enough oxygen, that's why she's going the blue tinge to her fingers, toes and lips. Has she fed?"  
"She had some trouble taking Eren's nipple. Armin told him there was something wrong with her heart. He wants to take her to the ocean because he doesn't want her dying inside the walls"  
Levi's voice shook, Hanji wrapping his little girl in the blanket she'd been examining the twins on  
"I don't want to say anything until we've done some more thorough testing, and Armin should have kept his mouth shut. Everyone knows this was a rough pregnancy for Eren"  
"He's not exactly welcome here"  
"No. I can see why. Do you want to try waking Eren for me?"  
"What do I say?"  
"Just ask him if he's ok with being examined. I'm worried that his body didn't expel the after birth properly, after you cut the cord"  
"I didn't know what to do"  
"Birth is always difficult, many, many women die during labour. You kept them alive. You did a good job"  
"I felt useless"  
"Out of everyone in the world, you're the only one Eren would have let him help him. It might not have been pretty, but they're all here. Now wake him up"

Shaking Eren awake, the teen tried to hide his face as he pushed it down into his pillow   
"Eren, Hanji's here"  
"I'm sleeping"  
"She needs to examine you"  
"I'm fine"  
"Eren, please"  
"I said I'm fine!"  
His violent outburst had both twins crying, looking to Hanji, she took a deep breath  
"Eren, I need to make sure you're healing"  
"It's fine"  
"Levi, why don't you give Eren and I a little space while I check him"  
"Leave me alone"  
"5 minutes and I'm done"  
"Just leave me alone"  
Levi placed his hand on Eren's shoulder, Eren slapping it away with a growl  
"Fine. Just don't bite Hanji's hand off. You might like to know your kids are alright"  
He regretted the low blow the moment it came from his lips, the glare Hanji gave him rivalled his own  
"Whatever. I'll be outside the door"

 

*  
Sitting on the bed, Hanji draped herself over him in a hug. Eren was already in tears over making Levi mad, and knowing Hanji would be disappointed with him too   
"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you"  
"I fucked up"  
"No, you didn't fuck up"  
"I did... there's something wrong with them"  
"Your son is just fine. And I'm going to keep a close eye on that girl of yours. But you, you've got me worried sweetie. I heard you had a rough labour"  
"I don't remember... but there was blood"  
"I'm going to take a look, on a scale of one to ten pain wise, what would you say?"  
"8..."  
"Ok. I'll bring something up for the pain, so try not to tense while I examine you"

Hanji's poking and prodding came with humming instead of a running commentary. It was bad enough as she examined him externally, but his eyes rolled back when she gently probed inside, his hands tightly fisting his pillow as he bit down his scream  
"Ok, ok! I'm sorry. I know it hurts, and you've done some major damage. Who did the stitches?"  
"M-Mike"  
"He needs to relearn how to do stitches. You are healing, I can see spots that have healed, but you're going to be very sore and sorry until it's healed completely"  
"Mike said there was haemorrhaging"  
"And there probably was, there's a lot of tearing. Internally and externally. I'm going to have to give you some antibiotics for that, otherwise you could heal badly. Have you been to the toilet yet?"  
"I can't even walk..."  
"Have you eaten or had anything to drink?"  
"No"  
"Ok. Well that's not ok"  
"I'm not hungry"  
Pulling her probing fingers away, Hanji covered him back up  
"Let me go wash up real quick"  
Why? What did she want from him now? He wanted to sleep. He didn't want anyone around him, or to be touched. He only let Hanji do it because she would have kept pushing if he hadn't. 

Returning from the bathroom, Hanji slid into the bed from Levi's side, placing a hand on his forehead as she smile soft at him  
"It's ok if you're not feeling great"  
"I'm fine"  
"You're not fine, and that's ok. It was a hard birth. Then people started telling you shit you shouldn't be listening to. Levi's outside, so you can talk to me"  
"Will you tell him if I do?"  
"Do you want me to?"  
"No..."  
"Then for a limited time my lips are sealed"  
"Limited time?"  
"Until you're feeling up to telling him"  
Patting her leg, Eren shuffled over to rest his head on her thigh  
"He keeps telling me how good I did and how proud he is"  
"What's wrong with that?"  
"I don't feel good. I feel like I've failed them. If I hadn't gone into labour, they'd be ok! Levi wouldn't have had to blow off his mission. He wouldn't have to be here... his kids... his kids wouldn't be dying!"  
"Ok. No. You're kids are going to be ok"  
"But her heart..."  
"Is going to be monitored. Even if there is something there, she's still your little girl. Levi told my about your son's cord being around his throat, but he's happy. He's healthy. He's adorable, and so is she"  
"I don't feel like I deserve to love them... I let them down! Levi loves her so much! What happens when she dies?! He's going to hate me..."  
"No he's not. He loves you. He loves both your children. I did suspect it wasn't just one baby, but didn't want to worry you because wolves usually have between 3 and 8"  
"Two was bad enough... and I couldn't do that right"  
"You did perfectly. And I know you love them"  
"I don't deserve to"  
"You do. You really do, sweetheart"  
"I hate this. I hate it Hanji. I thought I'd be happy, but I feel so guilty. Apparently I nearly died again, and Levi had to deal with that alone. He keeps praising me. He keeps touching and kissing me. He tells me I'm beautiful. It hurts. I don't want to be touched. I don't want to be beautiful. I don't want to eat. I just don't... I want my kids to be ok"  
"I'll make sure you're left to rest in peace up here, but I don't think Levi will be leaving you alone"  
"I don't want to face him. I can't stand knowing I disappointed him"  
"You haven't. I promise you, he's every bit the proud dad none of us ever expected him to be"  
"He's so good with them... I don't even know what to do"  
"You're emotionally and physically exhausted. You need rest, and lots of fluids. I'm going to have Levi keep an eye on you, because you warm. My orders are, I want you sleeping whenever you want. I want you eating and sleeping. No heavy lifting for now. You're going to be bleeding, it'll be like a heavy period, but not too heavy"  
"I'm a guy"  
"Bleeding like after those experiments, just anally"  
"You should tell Levi that then. I bled through all our blankets. The towels, and onto the floor"  
"I doubt he's mad over it"  
"But he should be"  
"Nope... you just became parents. You're supposed to be enjoying this"  
"How can I enjoy it when it's all gone wrong?!"  
"Because you're alive. Make the most of the time you do have, because once it's gone, you're going to regret it"  
Hanji wasn't really listening to him either. Both her and Levi hadn't actually told him anything that made him feel like it was truly ok. He loved the twins. He loved them so fucking much, and didn't want to be the kind of parent to abandon them  
"I think I want to sleep"  
"Alright. I'm going to have someone bring some food and water up. If Levi starts getting moody or pushy, tell him I'll personally shadow him, and annoy the absolute shit out of him, if he doesn't leave you alone"  
"I don't think he finds you that annoying or scary"  
"That just means he's yet to experience all my magical ways. Now go to sleep. You'll see, everything will get better"  
Yeah. But when? She was monitoring their daughter. His arse was busted. Levi was making this parenting thing look like he'd been doing it his whole life. What was there for him to do? He couldn't get up and do anything for himself. He couldn't change nappies or bath the twins. He could feed them, but was his milk even enough? 

 

*  
After her talk with Eren, he'd hoped his fiancé would feel better for having talked about what was going through his mind. Hanji had explained some of it, and assured him that he was doing the right thing by just being by Eren's side, but she was worried about his mental state. She was also worried about the damage caused by birth, asking him watch for fever and vomiting, while keeping Eren resting and as calm as possible. Because that was going to happen. The moment Eren decided he felt better, his brat would be up and pushing himself even if he really wasn't ready.

The next few days were busy in their own ways. Hanji had had to drain the fluid from their daughter, Rilee's lungs, and for a while it looked like she wasn't going to make it. There were also visits from Mike and Erwin. Mike bringing baby clothes, while Erwin had just brought an awkward attitude. He didn't blame Eren for pretending to sleep through it all. If he could have, he would have. Eren had chosen Rilee's name on his own, waking up one morning and starting to call her by that. When he poked at the name, Eren had admitted he didn't want her dying without having a name. He wished Eren would get past his fear, and bond with her. He fed her, he nuzzled into her as they slept, but he just didn't seem to feel confident when it came to holding or soothing her. He was much better with their son, Eli, who's name he chose. He'd been holding their boy, while trying to think of names out loud to find what fitted, it wasn't until he said Eli that his baby boy opened his green-grey eyes, his tiny hand grabbing for Levi's finger. Both twins were much quieter than he'd expected, though Rilee more vocal than her brother. If she wasn't happy, she was determined to make anyone and everyone listen. When she'd grown quiet, it'd been the first sign something was wrong, ending up with her spending three days under Hanji's watchful eyes. The woman had had to perform the procedure in their room, due to all the soldiers in the infirmary. Eren had watched, but hadn't commented. The look of defeat still in his eyes.

Eren request to take her to the ocean still played heavy on Levi's mind. Erwin hadn't dared ask him to head out on missions, not with Rilee's complications. He'd piled the paperwork up though, his slightly broken desk sagging under the weight of the files on it. Levi had found he could balance on twin on his shoulder as he worked, while Eren would sleep beside the other one, barely talking to him outside the minimum. It was frustrating not knowing what was going through his lover's mind, other then the fact he didn't want any visitors.

Pushing his paperwork away, he took his son into his hold. The little boy was always wearing a cheeky smile, and this time was no different. Levi could smell why, and he swore his son was laughing at him  
"You stink. Don't think I don't know what you've done"  
Blowing a spit bubbly, his son was all smiles. Rising from his chair, Levi carried him over to the bed where Eren was laying on his side, staring at Rilee. He hated Eren being so depressed, even if he couldn't help it, it just seemed so cruel of the universe to do this to him. Going about changing their son, he prepared himself for yelling  
"Eren, can we talk?"  
Eren sighed  
"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"  
"Do you still want to take Rilee to the ocean?"  
"Yes"  
"She's doing better. Hanji's happy with her progress"  
Neither of their children seemed to have inherited any of their powers, or they were simply too young to tap into the power  
"I don't want them to live their lives in the walls"  
"What do you want?"  
"I don't know"  
"Do you want to go?"  
Eren propped himself up with his elbow  
"We can't go anywhere"  
"Who said we couldn't?"  
"You've got work"  
"Erwin managed without me"  
"Only because he knew you'd be back"  
"Eren, right now, if you could leave, would you?"  
"Yes"  
"Alright"  
"What?"  
"We'll go"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I thought it was pretty self explanatory"  
"You have work"  
"And you're not ok. I know you're not. I know you're worried and you're still exhausted, but I can't stand looking at you like this"  
Eren dropped back down  
"Then don't look"  
"How can I not? I love you"  
"Why?"  
"Why what?"  
"Why do you love me? What use am I? I don't have a use... I'm not allowed to do anything. I wake up, feed the twins, sleep. That's all I do"  
"You asked for no visitors"  
"I don't want their pity"  
"The only one pitying you, is you. Rilee is doing better. Why can't you love her?"  
Eren pushed himself up, climbing from the bed and wrapping his arms around himself   
"I don't deserve to"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It means I don't deserve to! Everything wrong with her, is all my fault! If I'd been a better mum, she wouldn't be sick! This is my fault! I love her! I love both of them, but I don't deserve to... I don't..."  
Leaving Eli laying on the blanket, Levi strode over to Eren, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him tight. Even though he'd given birth, Eren's stomach was still swollen, so Levi was slightly twisted as he held him  
"I don't deserve their love"  
Hanji had told him a little of this, but it felt completely different coming from Eren's lips. His mind rushing to bring back the memories of Eren sobbing in the bathtub   
"They love you. They adore you. You're their mother"  
"I feel so fucking guilty, all the time. I want her to be happy"  
"She is. She was a little sick, but she's happy"  
"I hate her suffering"  
"We'll go. We'll take them both"  
"Do... do you think she's going to die?"  
"I don't know. I honestly don't, but she's strong. They're both strong"  
"I don't want her whole life to be spent here"  
"I'll need some time to organise a horse and supplies, but for today, would you like to try going outside?"  
"Are we allowed?"  
"Do you think I'm going to let anyone stop us?"  
"But the lock..."  
"Hanji may have yelled at Erwin over it. It's not locked anymore"  
"We can really go?"  
"If you want to try?"  
"I don't know how I'll go walking"  
"I'll be beside you"  
"I need... I don't know..."  
"You need clothes. That's the word you're thinking of"  
"Oh... yeah. And they need blankets. Will they be ok? I mean... Levi..."  
Eren's breathing was growing uneven as he panicked. Nuzzling Eren's neck, he waited until Eren finally returned the gesture   
"Everything will be alright. I'll stab anyone who says anything"  
"You can't stab everyone"  
"I'm pretty sure I can"  
"I don't want you to. No more blood"  
"Alright. For you, I won't"  
"Shit... what am I going to say?"  
"Nothing you don't want to. You don't even have to speak if you're not up to it. We can find some shitty tree to sit under, watch some shitty clouds..."  
"I missed you saying shit in front of everything"  
"I've been trying to cut back around the twins"  
"I... you make it all look so easy. Like you've done all of this before"  
"Trust me, I haven't"  
"I... I'm jealous"  
"You don't need to be jealous"  
"You've made it look so easy"  
"You said that"  
"Well you have. I didn't even know how to get Rilee feeding, and you just stepped in like it was nothing"  
"Did that upset you?"  
"It didn't feel great"  
"I could see you getting upset"  
"I feel so overwhelmed"  
"We'll sit in the sun for a bit, get some fresh air and we can figure out what we should take"  
"You. Just you and them. No one else"  
"I'll need to ask Hanji..."  
"No. I don't... I don't want anyone trying to change my mind or helping because she's sick. I don't want them pitying her"  
"Most of them still think Rilee's sick. Armin was the one who first suggested it"  
"I don't care. I don't want them knowing. She deserves better that pity"  
"Alright. I'll still need to organise our bags, and our horses. Gear..."  
"I get it... I'm sorry"  
"No. You just want her to be happy and free"  
Eren mumbled out in a whisper   
"More than anything"

 

*  
Sitting next to Levi, Eren was holding Eli, while Levi held Rilee. They'd made it down to the grassed training oval, without him melting down completely. If he stared down at his son, he didn't have to see all the judging looks, and he could ignore the whispers. By the time they actually reached the grass, everyone would have known they were out of their room, and with their twins. His heart and mind were racing. He was scared that someone was going to come up and laugh at him. He might have given birth, but his stomach was still inflated like he was pregnant. He hated looking at it. It was a constant reminder of his greatest screw up to date. Feeling Levi threading his fingers through his hair, Eren leant into the touch   
"How are you feeling?"  
"Sick to my stomach"  
"Sick?"  
"Scared sick"  
"You've got nothing to be scared of"  
"Mikasa and Armin are going to show up, any moment now and I'm going to get yelled at"  
"Don't look now, but..."  
Eren's head shot up, his breath hitching as he looked across the field  
"You arsehole! I thought they were actually coming"  
Settling back against Levi, he hugged Eli tighter  
"Sorry"  
"No you're not"  
"No. Not really"  
"How's Rilee?"  
"Sleeping, like Eli"  
"And you?"  
"I don't know... my arse is still sore, if that's what you're asking"  
"I meant, are you feeling better?"  
"I don't know"  
He didn't. Outside was nice, but it didn't fill him with enthusiasm. There were too many places for their enemies to hide. Too many scents on the wind and too many people making noise in the background   
"I'll try finish up my paperwork as soon as possible. It's mostly just requests for aid and inventory"  
"Why isn't Erwin signing off himself?"  
"Because he wants to throw my name around"  
"I can't deal with him"  
"You don't have to"  
"I think I want to nap..."  
"Do you want to go back to our room?"  
"Just a small nap"  
"Ok. Get some sleep, Shitty Brat"

Eren felt like his eyes had only just closed, before he heard his name being yelled. Sighing, he mentally cursed whoever was listening and Levi for jinxing it. Staying as he was, he didn't look up until a shadow fell across his face  
"Eren! What are you doing out here?! Is it safe?! Are you alright?"  
Blinking, Eren sighed again  
"It's fine Mikasa"  
"Did Hanji say so?"  
"Can we help you?"  
"What's Eren doing outside? We were told he wasn't well enough for visitors"  
Sitting down, Mikasa decided she was welcome to join them. A few seconds later, Armin panted as he came to a stop beside her  
"Eren! How do you feel? How are the twins? Are you alright? I didn't think you were up and moving"  
"I'm fine. Sore, but healing. We're just getting some fresh air"  
"And your daughter? She's..."  
"Eren is alright. Like he said, we're just getting some fresh air. Both our children are doing well"  
"And her lungs and heart?"  
"She's strong. She's got the blood of a werewolf and a vampire"  
"She was so pale..."  
"Armin, be quite. Eren, can we meet your twins?"  
He hadn't expected Mikasa to tell Armin to be quiet. Looking to Levi, Levi nodded  
"It's up to you"  
"Um... Levi is holding our girl, Rilee. I'm holding our son, Eli"  
Moving Eli so Mikasa could see, the girl let out a low gasp  
"He's beautiful"  
"I think so... they both take after their mother"  
"Levi, don't say that"  
"It's true. This is Rilee. Our strong little girl"  
Mikasa's eyes widened further  
"She's so tiny"  
"Hanji said they're both really good weights. She was born first"  
"I can't believe they're actually here. Can I... I mean, may I have a hold?"  
"Rilee is a bit more vocal about being woken up, but if you come closer, you can try holding Eli"  
He didn't want to let his baby go, even if it was so his adoptive sister could hold her nephew. Carefully, he placed Eli into Mikasa's hold  
"He looks so much like you"  
"I think they both look like Levi"  
"No. Rilee definitely looks like Carla"  
The use of his mother's name so casually tugged at his heart. She would have loved meeting the twins, and he'd considered the name Carla more than once, but he didn't want to lose another "Carla" from his life. Leaning in, Armin stared down at the baby boy  
"He's got pudgy cheeks"  
"He's a baby"  
"There's nothing wrong with it, I just mean, he looks better then I expected"  
"Shut up, Armin. What is with you? You've been mean to Eren ever since you got here"  
"I wasn't trying to be mean"  
"Well, I think he's cute"  
"Eren or the baby?"  
"Eli. His name is Eli"  
And without Eli in his arms, he was starting to panic. Nudging his shoulder, Levi dipped Rilee as he silent offered her to him. Grateful for the distraction, he took her into his hold   
"So Hanji gave Rilee an examination?"  
"They've both had examinations. They're both ok"  
"I'm so relieved. Grandpa had problems with his heart. His lips and finger tips would go blue"  
Eren didn't remember that... even when he'd been in the man's care after the fall of Shinganshima. So Armin hadn't been trying to be a douche, he'd just been scared because of his grandpa... it didn't actually make him feel any better  
"She definitely takes after Eren. She loves her sleep"  
"Don't tell me all you've been doing is sleeping?"  
"He's been recovering"  
"Aren't you healing? Is everything ok?"  
"Mikasa, it's fine"  
"Not if you're not healing. Does Hanji know why? Is it because of the birth? Or because of while you were away? Can you shift?"  
"It's probably hormones readjusting or something. I'm too tired to do this right now. Levi, can you help me back up to our room?"  
"Sure. Let's get you on your feet first?"  
"I'll take Rilee!"  
"She's sleeping"  
He didn't want Armin holding her, even if he'd been his best friend. He couldn't forgive him for the way he'd acted in encouraging everyone to believe something was wrong with Rilee. Standing up, Levi brushed himself off, before offering his hand and pulling Eren up. Armin looked like he was ready to jump in and stop the simple action. Like he didn't trust him not to hurt Rilee. She was safe. She was still sleeping, he wasn't squashing her, and she wasn't in danger   
"You better take Eli. Eren... is it ok, if I come see them again some time?"  
"Yeah... just make sure you knock and clear it with Levi"  
Mikasa sighed, and shot him a glare as she handed Eli over to Levi   
"Levi doesn't own you"  
"No. He's my fiancé and if I'm sleeping, he's the one who's going to answer the door. He's not going to stop you from seeing your niece and nephew"  
The fact they were leaving might put a slight dampener on visits... He was just so tired of Mikasa trying to fight with Levi. He'd missed the pair of them, so why did things always have to end up like this?  
"Is tonight alright? I know the others would love to meet them too. Even Jean's excited. He's been complaining about how long he's had to wait"  
Eren rolled his eyes   
"Jean wouldn't say that. He's probably wishing we were still gone"  
"Eren, everyone has missed you. They all came because they all wanted a chance to change the world with you"  
Levi shifted his weight beside him, Eren could practically hear him snorting at Mikasa's words. They'd barely worked together at all over the last 2 years, and he'd been pretty much gone from their lives completely for the last 6 months. He didn't understand why they'd all want to see him, when they'd clearly settled into new roles. He didn't know why they'd want to spend time with him, but this was probably the last time they'd have the chance...  
"Um... Levi, is it ok?"  
"Wait for us after dinner tonight, we'll come down"  
It was better than having everyone in their room, but he wasn't sure he wanted to face all those stairs again. He hadn't loved the first day he'd arrived, and he still didn't love them now  
"We'll let the others know. They're really beautiful. Carla and Grisha would be so proud"  
Grisha. His stomach knotted at his father's name. Grisha might be some kind of saviour to Mikasa, but Eren still couldn't feel anything other than anger at the man for what he'd done before disappearing. 

Taking his arm, Levi tugged him towards the castle, waiting until they were out of ear shot  
"We don't have to go down, if you're not up to it..."  
"No. We should see them all before we go... I want the kids to meet them"  
"Alright, just don't push yourself"  
"I'm kind of relieved they're not going to come to our room... it's stupid, but it feels like our little space. Even if Hanji and Erwin keep showing up"  
Levi nudged his ribs with his elbow   
"So Mike's ok?"  
"Mike kind of saved my life. Armin... I'm seriously thinking of banning"  
"He seems to have caught your verbal diarrhoea"  
"He can go ahead and uncatch it. I don't want to hear it"  
"One more night, then everything should be ready"  
"Yeah... what about you? Is there anyone you want to hang out with before we go?"  
"Just you"  
"I don't think I count"  
"It's fine. Besides, Hanji's going to be there, and she'll probably take over everything"  
"Oh the joy"

 

*  
Getting Eren up and moving again, his fiancé didn't look that happy as they headed down to the dining hall. Both twins were washed and changed, fed so Eren wouldn't have to feed in front of everyone. Levi was tempted to call the whole thing off, but that wasn't his call. Eren wanted to see them all before they left, so he'd follow his brat's lead. Coming to stop at the bottom of the staircase, Eren reached out to steady himself against the wall  
"Brat?"  
"I hate these stairs. Soooo much"  
"I was going to suggest we head back up, you don't look happy"  
"Don't even think about making me do them again so soon. If we can survive the stairs, we can survive a few hours with everyone"  
"You're really out of shape"  
"A blob is a shape and I'm a blob. If I lay down, will you roll me?"  
"You're not a blob"  
"I feel like it. I really do... you would think, losing two whole humans worth of weight would help"  
Eren gave him a half smile as he straightened up  
"Sina. What I wouldn't give to be able to shift and run"  
"You still can't shift?"  
"I haven't tried. I'm way too tired, and Hanji would probably yell at me if I did"  
"Once we're away from here, you can try. I've been thinking about which route to take. If we head south-west, we can follow the wall. But there's no guarantee when it comes to fresh water. The real benefit will be having the height of the wall if we get attacked. If we loop round, we risk being caught up in what's happening in Trost, but we can follow the river. Which means we can bath, and keep the twins clean"  
"I wouldn't mind following Wall Maria, it's closer to the outside world, but we can't exactly get a horse up there. And there isn't much cover up there"  
"I don't think we need to worry that much about attacked"  
"I don't know. Zeke didn't seem happy I was pregnant, and whatever he was trying to warn me about, it's only just starting"  
"I meant by werewolves. We were alone for weeks and the only real trouble we had was when we had visitors"  
"If I can shift, I can try to help. Or at least give you time to figure out how to get the twins to safety"  
"Whatever we decide, we'll be doing it together. So get that shit out of your mind"  
"I'm just..."  
"We're going, and we're going to make it"  
"Yeah... fuck. I'm exhausted from those stairs"  
"You've had a big day"  
"And it's not even over yet"

 

"Levi! Eren, look, you have my babies!"  
Running over to them, Hanji immediately went for Rilee  
"Oi! Shitty Glasses, hands away from Rilee"  
"But... baby"  
"Either you go wash your hands, and sit down, or you don't get to hold her"  
Hanji looked to Eren, fluttering her eyelashes   
"Ereeeeen"  
"Levi's right"  
"I thought you were on my side! I've missed them all day!"  
"I'm on Levi's side, unless he makes walk back up those stairs"  
"Why don't I take bub? So you can sit?"  
"You can't even tell the difference, can you?"  
"They're both swaddled up... aw come on. Let me hold them!"  
"I told you can have a hold, after you've washed your hands, and after you've gotten out the way"  
Hanji pouted, her grumble a mumble  
"Cuddles..."  
"Hanji, just go wash your hands. It's not that hard"  
"Someone's snappy! Fine. I'm going, and because I'm so nice, I'll grab your dinner while I'm at it"

Finally moving to let them into the dining hall, Eren caught him staring   
"All she had to do was her hands"  
"Careful, you're sounding more and more like me"  
"I just don't want her getting sicker"  
"Rilee's ok. We can let them hold Eli, he'll love it"  
"I don't want her treated differently from her brother"  
"I know you don't. But what am I supposed to say?"  
"I have no idea. Fuck... they're looking at us"  
"At least they haven't started yelling"  
"But Erwin's there..."  
"And so is Mike. We'll just leave Mike to babysit Erwin. Besides, Hanji isn't going to let him shoot his mouth off"  
"She did slap him before..."  
"Exactly. Where do you want to sit?"  
"It's probably safest to sit between you and Hanji"  
"Alright, Hanji's coming back anyway"  
"I don't know if this was a good idea"  
"It's too late now"  
"Thanks for the support"  
"You're welcome"

Eren sat between him and Hanji, Mikasa glaring as the woman dove to take the seat she probably wanted Eren to take. Staring down at Eli, Eren really didn't look happy  
"Wow... look how small they are!"  
Sasha's confidence knew no bounds, the girl staring at the twins with a somewhat scary smile on her face  
"I bet you could eat a whole baby in one sitting"  
"Connie! I wouldn't eat a baby! A cow, on the other hand... we don't get enough meat"  
"Is that all you can think about? Food?"  
"Nooo! I'm thinking about babies at the moment. Did it hurt? No one was allowed near your room because of the screaming"  
"How did you give birth? Was it out your arse? Did you tear? Did it hurt?"  
"It wasn't the nicest"  
"Ha! Yeager got butt hurt! Stupid suicidal bastard, that's what you get for having kids!"  
Mikasa stabbed her fork down into the table, Jean scrambling backwards so fast he fell off the bench seat. Levi couldn't help but snort  
"What the fuck, Mikasa?!"  
"Stop picking on Eren"  
Armin laughed nervously   
"All Jean ever does is pick on him"  
Mikasa huffed, readjusting her scarf as Eren passed Eli to Hanji  
"We're all tired of it. We're supposed to be meeting the twins"  
"Eli and Rilee. Hello baby, it's your Aunty Hanji. Look at you!"  
"Ignore Hanji, she can't tell them apart"  
"I can, just not when they're all bundled up like this"  
"You've got Eli"  
"Trust Levi to hold Rilee. You guys aren't getting a hold if Levi's got her. Eren, hurry up and start eating. You're looking pale"  
"It's fine. I'm not that hungry"  
"I don't care. Doctor's orders"  
Leaning past the others, Erwin cleared his throat  
"Levi, can I have a word?"  
"Can it wait?"  
Sasha let out an "oooh" before shutting up when Connie pushed her lightly   
"Fine. Just make it quick"  
Under the table, Eren's hand shot across to grip his thigh. Leaning in, he whispered in his brat's ear  
"I'll be right by the door. Do you want to take Rilee?"  
"Yeah... I'm really not hungry"  
Passing Rilee over, Levi rose from his seat, joining Erein as he strode towards the dining room door.

Standing in the door way, Erwin didn't look impressed  
"Spit it out"  
"I wanted to know how Eren was going"  
"He's recovering. Why?"  
"I was just wondering why he's up and moving around the castle"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You haven't mentioned he'd healed enough to be up and around"  
"So? He wanted to catch up with everyone"  
"You have to understand, it's still a volatile situation"  
"It's not my fault people are shitty arseholes. Eren isn't a prisoner"  
"We have soldiers here..."  
"So what? I'm supposed to keep him hidden away?"  
"I'm just warning you to be careful"  
"Right. If that's all"  
"Levi"  
"No. Eren doesn't deserve any of this. He deserves to be able to walk around the castle, and he wanted our children to meet his friends. I don't give a fuck what everyone else thinks"  
"A male giving birth isn't normal. A male Lycan shifter continuing his bloodline, leaves them scared"  
"Then I'm sure they're going to love the fact the twins are part vampire"  
"Your children could be in danger"  
Levi growled. Erwin was acting like he was just letting Eren run free and unsupervised   
"Don't you think I don't already know that? He's left out room twice since giving birth. This is the second time. He's kept himself our room, he hasn't hurt anyone. He hadn't even shifted"  
"Look, I just wanted to warn you"  
"Warn me about the danger I already know about? Come off it"  
"It's my job to oversee the people inside the castle and those under my care, and those operating under the name of the Survey Corps"  
"And what do Eren and I fall under? He's given birth, and Rilee needs to be watched"  
"You're our guests"  
"Your prisoners"  
"Levi"  
"No. Unless you actually have something important to tell me, this talk is over"  
"I was going to say, I'm sorry that Rilee isn't doing well"  
Right. Erwin wasn't fooling him. He was no doubt about to dribble more bullshit  
"Eren wants to make memories with her. He can't do that when you've got us stuck up in our room. Now, I'm going back to my family"  
"Just keep a close eye on your surroundings"

Returning to Eren's side, Levi slid into the place he'd left. Almost immediately Eren's hand grabbed his thigh again, his shifter smelling of distress  
"What did Erwin want?"  
"He just wanted to check that Eren and the twins were doing alright"  
Erwin hadn't returned to the table, not like he was welcome there. Placing his own hand on Eren's, he squeezed   
"What did I miss?"  
Hanji giggled  
"Nothing much. Eli's awake, he's done the rounds"  
"You let him go?"  
"Only briefly. He's just so adorable"  
"He's not yours, and no more poking"  
"He's a little too small for poking. Besides, both of them appear to be completely human"  
"I was expecting ears or a tail"  
"No one was asking for your opinion, Jean"  
"Don't be like that Mikasa, we all were"  
"Guys, can you not argue? We came down so you could meet them, not for you to sit here and fight"  
Shifting Eli to one arm, Hanji wrapped her arm around Eren's shoulder   
"It's alright sweetie. You're right. We're all happy to see you up and moving"  
"Thanks... I think I want to head up to bed soon"  
"Not until you've finished dinner, and Levi, I expect you to clean your plate. You've both got to keep your strength up. They've been a little quite, but soon you'll be missing the days of peace"  
"Oi. Don't go giving them ideas"  
"I think everyone's given them plenty of ideas as it is. Isn't that right Eli?"  
"Stop encouraging him. And stop encouraging Rilee. She's the vocal one of the pair"  
"She's a little fighter. She takes after both of you"  
Eren placed down the fork he'd picked up with his free hand  
"I think I want to go to bed. Levi, do you want to hold her?"  
"Eren, Hanji's right you need to eat"  
Sliding his plate across to Sasha, Eren shook his head  
"I'll eat later. I'm really tired"  
"Do you want me to come up with you?"  
"I'm fine. I'll see you all later"  
He didn't want Eren wandering around, but the rest of the Brat Squad were all trading awkward looks  
"I'll see you up there"

Eren left the table, the teen walking away in an aura of sadness, or something like that  
"Alright, what's wrong with Eren?"  
"Didn't you hear him, he's tired"  
Armin shook his head  
"That's not what I mean. He seems different"  
"He's tired"  
"I've known Eren almost all my life, I can tell something's wrong. Is it Rilee?"  
"Armin, you may be concerned for Eren, but he's exhausted, and recovering. The birth may have been a week ago, but it was traumatic. It was hard and bloody, which you know, both you and Mike saw the blood. It also didn't help that you kept asking about Rilee's condition. You may be worried, but right now, Eren needs to rest, and you need to stop asking what's wrong with the twins, and instead offer to help"  
"He's my best friend. I'm worried"  
"There's other ways to show you're worried"  
"It's Eren's fault. It's clear he doesn't want be around any of us"  
Levi narrowed his eyes and fixed Jean in a glare  
"What was that?"  
"It's true. He didn't want to see us at the house. He didn't want to see us before he went into labour. He didn't even want to see us after we reached him. If we died, he'd probably laugh about it"  
"What the fuck is wrong with you, seriously? Do you hear the shit you're braying out? The next time you're fucking tortured, we won't bother rescuing you"  
"Levi, maybe..."  
"No, Hanji. I'm sick of this. He was fucking nervous about this. About you all meeting the twins, but he still came down here. Because he wants the twins to meet the people important to him. He's still readjusting to being here, and the last thing he needs is your shit. Hanji, can you bring my plate up? I'll take Eli now. I don't want to sound like Shitty Eyebrows, but I'm disgusted with all of you"

It probably sucked for Eren that they would be leaving on such a sour note. Hanji had tried to smooth things out, but there just wasn't helping some people... or half horse people. He was sure there was a term for that, and he was sure they belonged in story books... but then again, ghost, ghouls and weird dead kids that accidentally killed animals all did too. Just what would be beyond the walls when they got there? And would Eren's dream of the ocean really become reality?!


	54. Chapter 54

After their disastrous "dinner" with the Brat Squad, Levi had returned to their room to find Eren sitting on the end of the bed. His teen's hands were clenched into fists as he stared off into the distance, not even noticing Levi or Hanji had entered. Leaving his dinner on his desk, Levi placed both twins down on their bed, before kneeling in front of Eren. Taking both his hands in his, the teen jumped as he finally realised he wasn't alone  
"Levi?"  
"Yeah, brat. Want to tell me what you're thinking?"  
"Things aren't the same"  
"What things?"  
"Everything. I tried to pretend it was, but I felt like... like I was walking eggshells around the others. They kept talking around me, like I couldn't hear them"  
"What did they say?"  
"Just stuff about the twins. Like how they couldn't be mine because they're cute and shit. I know it was joke, but I'm so fucking done. I don't want to be treated like this. I don't want things to be like this and it's fucking frustrating"  
"I'm sorry I had to talk with Erwin"  
"No. It's your job. I should be able to put up with the people who were supposed to be my friends for longer than five minutes"  
"You had a big day..."  
"Don't do that! Don't try to blame the fact I'm tired. I might be fucking tired, but I thought they were my friends, you know? I know I'm useless and I've been gone, but... I still wanted to try"  
"I know you did. Do you want to take a shower? Or start packing?"  
"Don't go in the bathroom"  
"Why not?"  
"I took my frustrations out on it"  
"Did you hurt yourself?"  
"No... I kind of ended up screaming at the mirror and throwing stuff"  
"Did it help?"  
"No. As soon as I was done, I wanted to clean it all back up, but I think I over did it with all those stairs"  
"It's fine"  
"It's not fine. It's a mess"  
"Which I'll clean up. It's not like I don't have to sort the bathroom out before we leave"  
"Levi, do you really want to go?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You could stay here. You could be safe"  
"I've told you I want to this ocean of yours. We're going together. Rilee and Eli are both going to see the ocean, and we're going to be right there with them"  
"Is that what you want?"  
"I want to be with you. I want to see just why so many people had to die, and what this "world outside the walls" is really like"  
"I'm sorry. I keep making you look after me or making you repeat yourself"  
"I make a special exception when it comes to you"  
"Don't. Don't go easy on me. I don't know what to do when you're not acting like yourself"  
"I'm still me"  
"I know you are. I'm just... a mess"  
"A shitty mess"  
"Yeah. Fuck. Why couldn't they just accept the twins? Why did Armin have to keep asking Hanji if Rilee was ok? Jean kept teasing me about my arse. Mikasa kept telling him off. Sasha was looking at the twins like they were food, while Connie was teasing her for it"  
"Did Mike or Hanji say anything?"  
"Hanji told them that fluid in the lungs isn't all that uncommon. Mike just hung back, kind of, I think he found the beer better company"  
"At least they got to meet the twins"  
"Yeah. Fuck. I hate this so much. Everything has fucking changed all over again. I want to be out there. I feel like I'm a prisoner here. I feel like there's this knife against my throats and with one wrong step, everything's going to break"  
"We'll be gone soon"  
"And then what? What do we do when we reach the ocean?"  
"We'll figure it out when we get there"  
"I hate how patient you are with me"  
"I can yell if you want me to"  
"No. I'd probably just start crying and feel even worse. I hate feeling like this. I couldn't even fucking eat. Not with them all watching"  
"I had Hanji bring mine up. You should eat"  
"You should too. I'm healing. And you must be starving"  
"I'm not actually. It's weird. Maybe it's because of the kids?"  
"What? Like their smell? Or like your instincts?"  
"I don't know. I just haven't been that hungry for blood"  
Part of it was his instincts, the other part was the fact he couldn't get the mental images of Eren's blood over everything after the birth. It was enough for his stomach to tighten, and kill the desire to feed  
"Is all this too much? Me. Rilee. Eli?"  
"No brat. You and the twins give me a purpose"  
"You're a really good dad... when Mikasa mentioned Grisha, I wanted to vomit... I don't know what I'd say or do if we found him out there"  
He could think of a fair few things he wouldn't mind doing to Grisha... all them ending with the same send off Kenny got   
"And you're a good mum. You could have made any wish you wanted, and I would have found a way to make it happen. But you wished for your daughter. Our daughter"  
"I don't want her dying here"  
"We don't know she's going to die"  
"Everyone dies eventually..."  
"Why don't you finish my dinner? I'll clean the bathroom up, then you can take a bath. I have to finish up those papers, then we'll start packing"  
"Can we go along the top of the wall?"  
"If that's what you want"  
"I do. I want to be free"

 

*  
It'd taken two full days to finally get everything sorted. Levi couldn't just waltz in a take all the supplies he'd wanted for his family, and the pile of papers on his desk had required him paying more attention to them than he'd thought. Eren quietly accepted it all, almost as if he didn't really believe they would actually leave. With both their bags packed, Levi had let Eren sleep until the very last minute. They were leaving just before sunrise, with the intention of hitting the wall around noon. He knew the grounds around the castle like the back of his hand, so the only real danger came from pushing out and into the unknown.

With their arms filled with sleeping twins, Eren was slowly stumbling along side him. Every few seconds his fiancé would stop to yawn, despite the fact they'd had a most peaceful night. With all this yawning and stumbling, each step down the stairs that Eren took, left his heart stopping and starting, and by the time they hit the ground floor, he was amazed he hadn't had a heart attack. He knew Eren was strong, but his boyfriend was still recovering, both mentally and physically. The birth having seemed to send Eren's mental health spiralling again. So caught up in his worry, he barely noticed Erwin standing near the door that would lead them towards the stables. He hadn't counted on that. He'd left a letter to Hanji, explaining that they were going to take Rilee to the ocean. But he hadn't left an explanation for Erwin. Catching sight of them, Erwin closed the door with a loud bang that echoed through the deathly quiet castle, and caused Eren to whine in fear  
"What do you two think you're doing?"  
Instead of cowering away like might have been expected, Eren stood a little straighter  
"We're going to watch the sunrise"  
"With two backpacks? And two newborns? I don't think so"  
"We're going to watch the sunrise, and have breakfast out there"  
Erwin wasn't buying it   
"Then why do you have the twins?"  
"Because Rilee is sick. She's sick and she's going to die. I want my daughter seeing everything and experiencing everything she can before that happens"  
The look on Erwin's face was priceless. Anger, confusion, sadness, pain, all flickered across his features before he schooled them into a slight frown  
"I'm sorry about Rilee"  
"Like that changes anything. We all know how you feel about me. We all know the only reason I'm here is because you can't let Levi go. Well guess what, he's my fiancé and we're taking our twins to watch the sunrise. We don't know when Rilee's going to die, and I don't want to waste the time we have her, standing here and explaining to you why we should be allowed to take our own children out to watch the sunrise... not when any breath could be her last"  
Eren's brave words trailed into a broken whisper as he readjusted his hold on their daughter   
"What you're going through isn't fair. And despite what you've got into your head, you being here is for the protection of all four of you. I can't say I understand what it feels like to be the parent of a sick child, but I can say that I did see you after birth. With the sheer amount to blood in that room, there's no way you should have survived. There are others with the intent to spill just as much of your blood all over again. So while you're watching the sunrise, don't forget that not everyone here is your friend"  
"So, we can go?"  
"Of course. Just watch your back"  
It sounded more like a threat than warning, but Erwin slipped past them, disappearing towards the stairs. Letting out a long breath, Eren finally shook his head  
"Let's go"  
"I think you hurt his feelings"  
"He doesn't have them. He just had eyebrows and douchebaggery"  
"I didn't expect you to stand up to him like that"  
"It was for Rilee. And I knew her being sick... he wouldn't have listened otherwise. Him letting us go was an act of pity"  
"Whatever it is, no ones going to expect us back for a few hours at least"  
"You're not mad I lied?"  
"No. And it's not like you specified where we would be watching the sunrise"  
Eren gave him a small smile   
"That's true... I just hope he doesn't try to follow us"  
"He's got better things to be doing with his time"  
"Yeah, like coming up with new things for you to do"  
"I already apologised for the paperwork. You could have helped me get through it"  
"What was I going to do? Forge your signature?"  
"I would have let you"  
"Whatever. Can we just go? I don't want to be caught by anyone else... what was he even doing down here?"  
"He likes to walk the castle at night"  
"Spying on everyone probably"  
Eren let out a groan of disgust  
"What? Worried he watched me fucking you? Or sucking you off"  
"Ew! Gross. Not in front of the kids. And no... you're supposed to be my fiancé"  
"I am your fiancé. That doesn't mean his tiny pecker didn't get up for you"  
His own teasing of Eren angered him. Eren was his and he was the only one who got to see him like that  
"He probably came in pants just looking at you. You have no idea how hot you are"  
"You're the hot one. I'm short and cranky"  
"He probably had all sorts of nasty dreams about folding you up and fucking your arse"  
"I thought we agreed no more?"  
"No. But I don't want to think about it anymore"  
"You know I'm yours. Don't you?"  
"Yeah... maybe. No one ever said what was going on in my head made sense"  
"Eren..."  
"It's fine. I mean. I love you, but I'm struggling, ok?"  
"I know. Don't forget to let me know when you need a break. I know the bleeding's only spotting, but you're probably going to feel it"  
"I know... that's only bit I'm not looking forward too"  
"The only bit?"  
"That and you know, being on the run, having limited water, carrying two newborns. Then there's my psychotic half brother. The pack be runs with, and their firepower. They launched attacks on the Capital, Hermina and Trost like it was nothing. They also probably broke through Shinganshima. They were more than happy to leave us both unconscious and they could be waiting for us anywhere... and for our friends... ignore me. My mouth won't stop"  
"I don't mind. Your right. I prefer it when you're blunt like this"  
"I thought you'd be sick of listening to me by now"  
"Not really. You're not like used to be, always dribbling some shit"  
"I'd like to believe I've grown bit... other than outwards"  
"You have. When I first met you, you were a pissy little shit who acted rashly and always thought you're right. Now you're thinking ahead, and considering more than just your own goals"  
"Thanks... I think? You're still an arsehole. But not as much as before"  
"I must be slipping in my old age"  
"Being a father's changed you"  
"No. Being around you's changed me. Do you want me to saddle your horse?"  
"You probably better. I don't particularly feel like taking a dirt nap"  
"You already look like crap, the mud would at least put some colour in your face"  
"Fuck you"  
"Once that arse of yours is healed, I might be tempted"  
Eren let out a huff, ending their banter with an annoyed look upon his face. Levi wondered if he'd gone too far. It so hard to tell these days. The slightest thing could upset Eren. Hanji had mentioned there was a kind of depression that came with birthing, that most mothers experienced to some degree. But Eren didn't need that in top of everything. Eren was depressed and struggling even before the birth of the twins.

 

*  
"We're being followed"  
"I know. Since the castle, I suspect"  
"What should we do?"  
Nudging his horse closer to Levi. Eren was almost missing the stairs. His arse was fucking tender, and they'd only been riding an hour or so. Even the padding of the towel in his underwear had done nothing to ease the pain, if anything, it made things more uncomfortable as it bunched up and rubbed at his scabs  
"Keep riding. If we stop, they'll know something's wrong. Can you tell who it is?"  
"I still have everyone's scent from the castle on me..."  
The smell seemed to have leached into his clothes he'd worn to dinner, and never left. Even after he'd showered and changed  
"It's probably Mike or Shitty Glasses"  
"Wouldn't they have called out? Or tried to catch up?"  
"And if they wanted to attack, they would have by now"  
"I suppose. We're going to have stop soon, they're going to want to feed"  
"I was hoping to make it to the wall by then"  
"I can't control when they decide their hungry"  
He'd bound his breasts before leaving to give them some support. Much like the towel, the idea had been great, but his body wasn't getting the memo. With the fabric rubbing against his nipples, he'd started leaking milk. Not that he could Levi this. Levi would try and come up with another plan to get them out of the walls, and he didn't want that. He just wanted to go  
"We'll keep riding. Stay close to me. Were still close enough to say we were going for that picnic breakfast, if they do catch up"  
"Ok"

Eren fell silent, he hated being watched. He hated having his every move judged and calculated. He hated being made to feel like everything he was doing was wrong or stupid. He didn't care if it was their friends that were following them, he just wanted them gone. He wanted to get to the wall. If Rilee's health worsened, they'd be able to drop down over the side of it. Even if it wasn't the ocean, she'd still be outside the walls. She'd be free.

They reached the wall a few hours after sunrise. When Eren had seen the pink glow painting the sky, he'd slowed his horse to walk, before moving Rilee in the sling Levi had made for him, for both of them. His daughter might not have appreciated the cold air against her face, but at least she could see the sun rising. It might have been a stupid sentiment to some, but it was a precious memory for him. His daughter's first sunrise outside the castle walls. Still, part of him was plagued with guilt. Eli was just as important. Rilee needed more attention than her brother, and that was probably how it would for the rest of their lives. It wasn't fair. How many things would he miss out on, because his sister was sick? Even this journey. They wouldn't be here if not for his wish for her to see the ocean.

Settling down at the base of Wall Maria, Levi laid out the blankets for him, while Eren rid himself of the bandages around his breasts, moaning as nipples were finally freed  
"You alright there?"  
"Yeah. Sooo much better now. Can you get the nappies out? They both need changing. And I want to put another shirt on them. It's still pretty cold with that wind"  
"Yeah. Sure. Anything you else you need?"  
"Food. Sleep. To know who the fuck is watching us"  
"Oi. Stop swearing in front of the children"  
""Don't "Oi" me, you're just as bad. We're both going to need to work on it"  
"At least they can't understand the words"  
"No. And their first words better not be "shitty brat", or I'm never going to forgive you"  
Levi laughed harder than Eren had expected at that  
"No. You're my shitty brat"  
Humming, Eren's head snapped up as their stalkers made a crash in the bushes  
"They're not very covert, are they?"  
"No. Do we go talk to them?"  
"Nah. It's fine. Besides, if they keep this up, they're going to reveal themselves any minute now"  
"You know who they are, don't you?"  
"I have a fair idea"  
"Are you going to tell me?"  
"No. But we're in no danger"  
Who did Levi label as non-dangerous? Sasha and Connie were probably the least dangerous in the man's eyes. But so were Hanji and Moblit. The only danger they served was to their sanity. Jean wouldn't leave his little cushy nest at the castle. Mike wouldn't drag them back, but he was handy in a battle, and not to be messed with. Erwin was dangerous... but could he even ride with one arm? Oh... oh, seriously?!  
"It's Mikasa and Armin, isn't it?"  
"Took you long enough"  
"Fuck. What the fuck are they doing here?"  
"Probably wondering why I've stolen you away again?"  
"I can't believe this. Why? Why did they have to come? They're not supposed to be here. It's not safe..."  
"They're as stealthy at the sun"  
"It's probably Armin"  
"You're sister is slightly scary"  
"It's not my fault. And fuck..."  
"Eren, just put it out of your mind for now"  
"How am I supposed to do that? They could end up dead out here. If we send them back, they might not even make it to the castle"  
"Well, the twins need feeding and changing. You need food, and now that we've reached the wall, we can take a few hours"  
"We don't have a few hours. We don't even know how we're going to get the horses up the wall. I'm pretty sure horses don't fly"  
"Not without some assistance"  
Levi seemed so unconcerned about Mikasa and Armin that it frustrated him. This was their journey. The journey for their daughter. He wanted to laugh and he wanted to cry, neither emotion coming out. The three of them had grown up together, and he'd always thought things would be that way. So why couldn't he relate to them now? Why did it feel like they'd reached a canyon in their relationship that couldn't be crossed? They hadn't been there when he'd been alone. They hadn't been the one to reach out and offer him a hand out of the darkness. That had been Levi. Levi was the one who'd saved him, who'd soothed him when he cried. Levi had been his support pillar for so long, that he didn't know how to let the others close again.

Feeding the twins, Armin and Mikasa hadn't exactly been quiet. He felt violated having them watch on. He wasn't comfortable with his body, with his small breasts and frumpy stomach. He still looked pregnant, maybe not the 36 or so weeks he'd been, but enough to not feel confident in showing anyone other than Levi. Even turning his back to the pair hadn't eased his anxieties. Why couldn't they have just stayed behind? Armin would just bring up Rilee's health, over and over like he didn't know. While Mikasa would pick his relationship with Levi to shreds. She didn't understand their insults and jabs were just how they communicated. She didn't understand the feelings between them. The feeling that they were born to be together. The connection running deeper than mere words. Their relationship hadn't been perfect. They had ups and down, but they made it work. He could stand up to Levi. He could tell him what he meant. He might not always let himself believe that, and he may not always voice the things he needed to, but that was between him and Levi. They were the ones who were going to find the truth of the world and their own truths while they were at it.

 

*  
It was uncomfortable watching Eren feeding their twins. The teen wriggling as if he couldn't get comfortable, though Levi suspected it was because Mikasa and Armin watching. He was honestly surprised Eren hadn't caught their scents earlier, or heard Mikasa scolding Armin for being so loud. In a way, it was sweet that they care enough about Eren to follow, but it was also incredibly foolish. There was no backup here. He didn't have enough provisions for the four of them. Nor did he have any idea how the pair of them had caught word of them leaving. Their presence was an unexpected circumstance with no easy fix. He was confident Mikasa could get Armin back to the castle in one piece, but the pair of them knew they'd headed to the wall, and the coconut had probably already realised they were leaving for the outside.

With Rilee in his arms, Levi had burped her as Eren fed Eli. Laying on his back, he stared up at the clouds drifting lazily across the sky, disappearing over the wall where they knew no bounds  
"I bet you stared up at the clouds a lot as a kid"  
It took Eren a few moments before he replied  
"Mum said I was dreamer who had my head in the clouds"  
"Being brought back down to reality isn't all it's chalked up to be"  
"No. It really isn't. But I always wanted to know if bird and clouds both pass over the walls, why can't we?"  
"I was just thinking the same thing. Are you finished feeding Eli?"  
"Nearly"  
"Good. You need to eat"  
"I'm not that hungry"  
"Even if you're not hungry, the twins need the nutrients from your milk"  
"I know..."  
Rolling to his side, he laid Rilee down next to him  
"Is it that you're not hungry, or that you don't feel comfortable enough to eat?"  
"Comfortable?"  
"From riding"  
"Oh. No..."  
"Then what?"  
"I..."  
"Hey, we're out here together. You can tell me"  
"It's stupid"  
"I'll decided that"  
"I just... I don't feel comfortable when you're being watched. It was the same at dinner, and it's the same now"  
"You let me feed you, but you don't want people watching you eat?"  
"I eat too much... you understand that, right?"  
"You don't eat too much"  
"I eat more than I used to"  
"Because you were pregnant. Your body needed the extra food for the twins. Your body still needs the extra food to feed them now. You don't eat too much"  
"I hate how I look"  
Eren's reply was almost a whisper, like a secret he hadn't actually meant to share out loud. Sighing mentally, Levi couldn't say he agreed or understood. Just because Eren had given birth, didn't mean he was going to be thin in a matter of days  
"Once you're healed, don't think I'm letting you out of training"  
"I don't know why I'm not healing"  
"Probably because it's all your body can do to keep you upright right now"  
"I'm sick of it. I just want to be me again..."  
"You are you. With all you've survived, isn't it time things got better"  
"Wow. I've definitely rubbed off on you. You wouldn't have said that when we met. You would have told me to shut up and stand up, and to stop being a self-centred shitty brat"  
"You say it like it's a bad thing"  
"Yes and no. Sometimes I miss my angry Captain who's ever second word was shit"  
"So you don't want me to be nice?"  
"I want you to be you. I want you to yell at me when I've done something wrong. I want you to get mad. I don't want to feel like you're being so kind and understanding on the outside, while cursing everything mentally. It's exhausting"  
"I'm trying to be the fiancé you deserve"  
"It's sweet. It really is. But I don't think it's helping"  
So what was he supposed to do then? He hadn't even realised he wasn't cursing the world and everything in it... maybe because the anger and annoyance over how shit the world really was had changed, now that he found someone and something he'd never thought he'd have  
"In that case, you need to eat you little shit"  
Eren sighed  
"I know"  
"I'll take Eli, so I expect you to finish everything on that plate"  
"I don't know if I can"  
"You can you and you will"  
There wasn't a whole lot on Eren's plate. Two cheese and meat sandwiches, a handful of nuts and a quartered apple  
"Can you... um, can you sit beside me? So they can't see..."  
The pair probably couldn't care less if Eren was eating or not. Mikasa might... yeah, she was like a dog with a bone when it came to Eren...  
"Alright. Though I doubt they give a shit"  
Eren snapped  
"I can't control how fucked up my mind is ok!"  
Taking a breath, he looked away  
"Sorry"  
"No. I don't get it. That's on me"  
"How could you not? Could you feed in front of everyone? You couldn't because you know the reaction. My mind jumps to the worse case option over it"  
So he could be an arsehole... but he couldn't admit when he didn't understand? Levi felt a new headache forming. It was better to just agree and let it blow over before Eren refused to eat at all  
"Alright. I wouldn't mind feeding on you in public and letting everyone see you're mine"  
"You're a dick"  
Finally Eren had perked back up.

With the teen reluctantly fed, the twins changed and Eren dosing with his head in Levi's lap, the man was staring at where Mikasa and Armin were still hiding. He wished he had a flare gun. The looks on their faces as he shot at them would be priceless. He had no idea why the two hadn't approached already, but it was getting on his nerves. Easing Eren's head from his lap, the teen gave an adorable whine. It wasn't like he wanted to place displace Eren, he liked having the teen's warmth so close, he just needed to talk to Mikasa and Armin. Making a show of checking his gear, Levi climbed to his feet, walking straight towards the pair.

Armin tried to run, the blonde tripping over his own feet and face planting, while Mikasa stood her ground  
"So, who's going to explain why you're following us?"  
"You took Eren. We wanted to know what was happening, so we followed you"  
"You're lousy at it. We noticed you almost immediately. We've spent the last few hours attempting to figure out why you haven't approached"  
Armin gathered himself up, brushing himself off  
"We wanted to see what you did next"  
"We're leaving. I suggest you fall back, and return to the castle. This isn't a mission for shitty brats"  
"What do you mission? Where are you taking him? Does Erwin know you've left the castle? Did he send you?"  
"Contrary to popular belief, Eren and I owe you no explanation"  
"He's our friend! He's my brother!"  
"Really, I hadn't noticed. Not with the way you constantly fuss over, and belittle him"  
"We do not! We're worried about him! He's not acting like himself!"  
"And how would you know who he was anymore? You were separated from him for the better part of a year. And even before then, things were strained. Don't give me that look. We all know it's true"  
"That's because... because you took him away!"  
"Everything I've done has been at Eren's request"  
Armin clicked, it was obvious   
"This. This is for Eren isn't it? You're taking him away from the castle because he asked you to"  
"Simply put, yes"  
"Then we're coming with you"  
"No. You're returning to the castle. Where you're both safe"  
"We're coming with you, right Mikasa?"  
"Exactly. If you send us back, we'll tell them you've left. That you've run away"  
"It's not running away. Eren has a wish, and we're going to fulfill it. Now, you two need to go"  
"No"  
"This wasn't up for discussion"  
"He wants to see the ocean with the twins, doesn't he? That was our wish. Our dream. If he's going, we're going too"  
"Why?"  
Armin spluttered  
"What do you mean why?"  
"Why do you want to come with us?"  
"Didn't I just say that this was our dream?"  
"So? Your presence here is upsetting Eren. Armin, you're smart, but you lack in people skills. Do you know how much you scared and upset him over Rilee? He nearly died giving birth to her, and instead of congratulating him, you tell him that there's something wrong with his daughter! Our daughter! Mikasa, you mother him and smother him nonstop. He's 17. He may be your brother, but he is also my fiancé. He's been tortured to the point of breaking. He's battling his demons. He doesn't need someone standing on the edge, prying his fingers free as pulls himself up"  
Yeah. He'd definitely spent too much time with Eren and Hanji. He wasn't even completely sure that his words made any sense, so quickly added  
"I've got my hands busy keeping an eye on the brats. I don't have the time or the patience to babysit two more"  
Mikasa set her jaw as she squared her shoulders  
"We are coming with you. I don't care if you don't personally like me. I will protect Eren and his children. All we want is for him to be happy"  
"Eren isn't going to like this"  
"Then let us talk to him. Please. You can't just take him away again. Not when this was our dream long before you came along"  
"Eren made this wish for Rilee. He wanted her to see the ocean. So I don't have time for your petty jealousy or time to hold your hands"  
"I knew she was sicker than what you were saying"  
Mikasa elbowed Armin, the girl looking pensive for a moment, before nodding   
"Then for Rilee, we'll go. We'll all go together and make sure that this wish does come true"  
Mikasa's words were strong with self certitude, as if now she'd voiced them out loud, she was bound to them as if an oath. Armin was quick to nod  
"For Rilee, we will reach the ocean"  
Fuck. He was wavering with the mentioning of his daughter's name. He didn't want them coming with them, but with so many unknowns... if something were to happen to him, they'd protect and shield Eren from whatever dangers lay ahead  
"You'll have to talk to Eren. Wait until he's finished resting. Don't forget, he is recovering. He's weak, and he's frustrated and he's struggling with riding, but he's stubborn and this is his wish for her. Don't question him, and don't mention her health"  
"We won't... we just... we want to be with him, until the end"  
And end that might end up with all 6 of them dying before they even set foot outside the walls. After seeing Eren's vibrant fire burning bright, Levi was sure they were just as bewitched by it as he was, a dark feeling began welling in the pit of his stomach, something akin to jealousy. Swallowing down the words of anger that danced on the tip of his tongue, he prevented himself from lashing out while in such a mood. Eren was his, and his alone. He knew every inch of the teen's body in ways they could never dream. He knew the carnal desires of his beast, and how to scratch the itch propelling Eren forward. Or, at least, he thought he did. Whenever Eren reached out his hand, he was there to take it. Not Mikasa and Armin. He could take comfort and revel in the fact that they never would. They'd never experience the heat of his embrace. Hear the moans of sweet pleasure escaping Eren's lips as he gave himself over until they bled into one... Eren was his, and he'd do all he could to protect him, even if it meant enlisting the help of two shitty brats.


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry... SOD 2 daybreak came out and I fell into the trap of playing... and binging Outlander with mum...
> 
> As always. Yell, scream, comment and abuse me. I take gentle suggestions, hints and ideas :)

Eren couldn't quite believe that Levi had given his permission to Armin and Mikasa, to join them on their journey. His wish had been his, a wish for Rilee he'd trusted to Levi. A wish he now wished he hadn't said anything at all. It was for their family. For the four of them. If he'd wanted the others to come, he would have extended the invitation. Yet. There he was. Stuck with Mikasa and Armin watching him all the time. With the pair of them fussing and wanting to help with his children so often that he felt like he was doing everything wrong. Sina, Armin had even brought a powdered milk formula Hanji had worked on in case he hadn't been able to feed them. He was left with the feeling that he wasn't even welcome, and that he wasn't contributing. His journey with his family, was now him tagging along with Levi's kids... plus Armin and Mikasa.

Hiding in his tent, Eren was watching the twins sleep. He wasn't allowed to scout with the others, because he was supposed to be healing and resting. He'd bled more than a little after riding on the first day, but a good nights sleep had helped. Followed by another nights sleep, and another, and another... and he was still on the outside. Rather than riding atop the walls, they were alternating between sleeping on top of the wall, and riding along it during the day. They hadn't encounter any convenient lifts, so we're forced to leave the horses at ground level... where the others were. He could seriously just leave and they probably wouldn't even notice. Only, he wouldn't leave the twins. He loved them too much to let them rest without protection... or leave them at all. He was just sick of feeling stuck in the hole he'd fallen into. Sick of being stuck in the same low mood, day after day.

Which lead to his plan that might not have been completely thought out. He just needed to wait until that night. Then he was going to take a walk, take some time for himself and recenter, without being watched nonstop. Even though he was sitting almost alone in the tent, he couldn't yell or scream out his frustrations. He couldn't take five minutes to just talk to himself and figure things out, because even if the twins didn't understand the words, he didn't want them hearing him complain anymore than they had.

"Eren, you in there?"  
Where else was he going to be? No, sorry Levi. I've just popped down to the bakers to get some decent bread... he didn't think Levi would appreciate his snarky sarcasm  
"The twins are sleeping"  
Poking his head into the tent, Levi's face softened as he looked to the twins   
"How've they been?"  
"Sleeping"  
"We cleared out the wolves ahead, so we'll be moving out after we've had cleaned up and had something to eat"  
What if he'd wanted to stay? Nope. Levi hadn't even asked him. Instead, it was a simple "we'll be moving out". Fuck. He needed tomstoo being so pissy. He needed to take a breath and get over himself. Levi was back, and he was safe. That was the main thing...  
"Eren, are you listening?"  
"Sorry. I'll get them ready to leave"  
"Are you alright?"  
"Hmm... yeah. I guess I'm still sleepy"  
"Are you sure? You smell distressed"  
"I'm fine. Go eat"  
"Have you eaten?"  
"Yeah"  
"Alright. The horses are saddled and ready to go, so you don't need to worry about that"  
"Like I haven't worried about if for the last three days"  
Levi frowned  
"Eren. Is there something you want to say?"  
"It's fine"  
"If you want to talk, I'm here for you"  
He wanted to do more than talk. He wanted to yell and scream, but without knowing what he wanted to vocalise, it was safer to stay quiet, in case something slipped out that he could never take back  
"It's fine, really"

 

*  
Levi sighed to himself as they made camp for the night. With the strong cold wind howling from the south, they'd been forced to make camp against the base of the wall. Within the next two or three days, they'd be reaching Shinganshima. At first, he thought that might be what was plaguing Eren's mind, but the cold gazes he'd shoot towards Mikasa and Armin told him that maybe he hadn't been forgiven over accepting them into their party. Eren had mumbled about it, but fell silent. He'd thought his fiancé understood the sincerity of Mikasa and Armin's desires to make his wish for Rilee to come true. It was hard to find any sort of balance between the four of them, when Eren didn't want to meet them half way, but he was still trying. He took Mikasa and Armin out each time he scouted ahead, in order to give Eren a little breathing space, and it was thanks to them that the journey had progressed so smoothly so far. Mikasa's skills with her blades nearly matched his own, while Armin's analytical mind rivalled Hanji's and Erwin's combined. He was loathe to admit, but the pair of them smoothed out his rasher and angrier actions in battles much like his old team had.

Returning from his walk, Levi found Mikasa and Armin already fast asleep. They were in no real danger, as they'd cleared the wolves from the area earlier, still, he didn't like the fact that no one had kept watch over the small camp, because no one could get themselves into trouble, quite like Eren could. Walking towards their tent, he hoped Eren would be sleeping. He hadn't been sleeping that well, and they always slept with the twins between them. He missed laying next to Eren as he slept. He missed waking up beside him, and watching Eren's face as he slept. The smile that played on his lips. The fluttering of his eyelashes before his brilliantly green eyes finally opened and his pink lips would form a soft smile. It felt far too long since he'd seen it. Pushing the tent flap back, he frowned when he found just their twins sleeping on Eren's bedroll, both covered by the blankets that should be covering his brat. His first instinct was panic, before realising Eren probably needed to use the bathroom and that was why he wasn't there. He wouldn't go far. Not with the twins and not with no one watching over them.

When Levi heard howling, he couldn't have scrambled from the tent fast enough. Roused, Mikasa burst from the tent she shared with Armin. Her blades drawn  
"What was that? It sounded close"  
"I'm going to check it out. Stay here and watch the twins"  
"No, I'll help. Eren and Armin will be safe"  
"Eren..."  
He couldn't admit Eren wasn't there and that he had no idea where he was  
"... is using the bathroom. I'll grab him and take him with me"  
"He's what?!"  
Why was the girl so shocked that the teen might need to take a shit?! It was hardly worth getting huffy over, or being shocked about   
"Using the bathroom. I need you to watch my children..."  
"Nothing will happen to them. Go find Eren. Make sure he's safe"

Running from their camp, Levi headed towards where he thought the howl came from. Pushing into the darkness, his eyes widened as he heard trees cracking. Tightening his grips on his blades, he didn't yell Eren's name out, as he didn't want to alert Mikasa to the fact he didn't actually know where the teen was.

With the cold winds, the sky was clear. The moon bright over the forest as it bathed it in silver hues. Landing on a low branch, Levi surveyed the sight in front of him. Eren's Lycan form was tearing through the remnants of a werewolf pack. The battle field was bloodied, instead of merely slaying the werewolves, they'd been pulled apart, limbs and torsos in varying stages of steaming as they vanished. It wasn't just a battle, it was slaughter. A mindless slaughter that sent a shiver down his spine. Eren looked happy. His top lip curled as if to smile, while pulling strips of flesh from the werewolf pinned beneath him. The whole sight rather reminiscent of when he'd killed the pureblood vampire woman  
"Eren!"  
Snarling, Eren raised his head. Spittle flying as his claws tightened into the chest of the struggling werewolf. Warning Levi that he was approaching Eren's kill, and not to interrupt. A warning Levi disregard  
"Eren! Finish it off, or get off!"  
Looking down to his kill, Eren let out a growling huff, before tearing the werewolf's throat out. Snapping and snarling, he pushed his lumbering form from the steaming corpse, dealing with the two other werewolves, and leaving Levi to put the ones struggling on the forest floor out their misery... ultimately leaving the pair of them staring at each other. Placing his hand out, Levi waited for Eren to make the first move to close the few feet between them. Huffing and panting, Eren's whole form shook  
"Come on brat... shift back. The twins are waiting for you"  
Growling, Eren turned to look in the direction Levi had come from   
"That's it... Mikasa and Armin are watching over them"  
Eren looked back to him, hunching forward as he roared in Levi's face  
"Eren?"  
Slamming his hand down beside him, Eren leaned further in. His breath stinking of rot   
"Shift back already. We can't talk like this"  
Jerking back from him, Eren walked away from him. Slumping to the ground with a loud thud. The Lycan form evaporating around him, as his lover emerged. Standing in the remands of his Lycan, Eren screamed. He screamed and sobbed, until Levi ran to his side. Grabbing Eren's shoulders, his fiancé ignored him, continuing his cries  
"Eren, hey. No, come on... I'm not angry"  
Gathering him against him, Eren's knees gave out. Landing in a tangled pile, Eren tried to struggle weakly from his hold, steam running up in tendrils between them  
"For Sina's sake brat. Calm down. You're going to hurt yourself"  
Caught by Eren's curled fist, Levi hissed at the blow to his jaw  
"Calm down!"

Slowly Eren calmed in his hold, falling silent. His body still twitching and jolting against him as they both laid there. Running his fingers through Eren's hair, he kissed the teen's temple   
"Do you want to tell me what the fuck that was?"  
"I found some wolves"  
"I noticed that bit"  
"Then what's there to talk about?"  
"Why you were pulling them to pieces rather than just slaying them on the spot?"  
"They were manageable"  
"Eren"  
"Don't. I don't want to talk"  
"Well I do. What were you doing away from camp? Especially with Mikasa and Armin asleep, and no one watching Rilee and Eli"  
"Can't I go for a walk, or go to the bathroom in peace?"  
"You can, but neither explain why you're so far from camp"  
"I got... no. You know what. I went for a walk. You all treat me like in a fucking burden, so I went for a walk to clear my fucking head before I ended up yelling at any of you"  
"So you ran away"  
"If you're going to be an arsehole, I'm leaving"  
"I'm trying to understand"  
"What part of "you're all treating me like shit", don't you get?"  
"Just how are we treating you like shit?"  
"Because none of you let me do anything"  
"You're..."  
"If you tell me more one time in recovering, I'm going to cut your testicles off and shove them down your throat"  
From his tone, Levi didn't doubt that Eren was serious... and he was seriously connected to his testicles   
"I wasn't going to"  
"Bullshit. You and Mikasa and Armin, you all fucking take over"  
"What do we take over?"  
"Everything. You change the twins. You bathe the twins, Armin brought that milk powder so I'm not even needed to feed them. You make me stay in the tent all the time. I'm not allowed to take a dump or have dinner without one of you demanding to know what I'm up to, or watching me. I can't even... I don't even feel like their my children. Ok. I'm just a bloody wet nurse for your children while you take them all the ocean"  
Levi felt like ice water had been poured over his head. Whatever he'd expected to fall from Eren's lips, this wasn't this...  
"There's a difference between caring and supporting someone, and making them feel so self conscious that they can barely function"  
"A wet nurse... they're your children too"  
"And how often do I get to tend to them when you three at camp? Levi, when was the last time I did anything at all? This... this was for Rilee. For our daughter"  
"They know that. That's why they're here. They want to make this wish come true"  
"Then go with them! If the fact I skated these wolves still proves I'm useless, than go with them..."  
"Are you asking me to choose? Between them and you? I chose to bring them for your sake. For the dream you spent so many nights telling me about. The ocean. Kilometres of endless blue with a never ending supply of salt... the beach. With so much sand that the water can never wash it all away... I thought you'd want them there. With us. The four of us, and the two of them..."  
"You know I'm not ok! So why... why would you make them see me like this?"  
"Because they're your friends!"  
"I don't know what I am any more! Or who I am! This, this was... this was my chance to find a way out of my head. This was supposed to be for Rilee. So I could find my way back, and be the best mother I can be for her and for Eli, because he's just as important to me as she is. I'm exhausted Levi. An exhaustion that never ends, because I can't relax. I want to be the one to clean the twins up, to wipe their snotty noses or change them. I want to be the one to feed them and to hold them. I want to be happy... I want to explore the world with you, and our children... but... I can't continue with you. Not when I feel like this"  
Letting Eren sit back from his hold, Levi felt like his head was muddled. With all of Eren's words, he still didn't know what exactly his lover was asking of him. The man's heart was racing with a pain he didn't know how to label  
"Eren. What are you asking from me? Are you saying you don't want to be with me anymore?"  
"No... maybe. You know I love you, but I can't be with you... not while it's the 5 of you, while I'm pushed aside"  
"You know I would choose you every single time. You know what you mean to me!"  
"I'm not saying this to be cruel. Levi, my heart is breaking. I don't know what to do anymore... but I do know that this isn't working"  
"Do you want me to send them away? Hanji, or Erwin, they'll figure it out. They may have sent a party out after us as it is"  
"How can I claim them as my best friends, when I can't... when I can't stand them watching? I can't stand the look in their eyes. I can't stand the whispers as night. I can't do this any longer..."  
Reaching out, Levi took Eren's hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of it  
"It's alright. I understand. I'll ask them to leave"  
"They won't be happy"  
"Between your happiness and theirs... there's no comparison. I will take the blame"  
"You can't..."  
"For you, I can"  
"It's not your burden to carry"  
"Your burdens are my burdens. I want to be there for you. As your partner, and your alpha. Always, Eren"  
"I'm tired of being so mad at you. I want to love you. I want to be happy the twins are alive. That they're here... but all I feel is anger and frustration, and that everything is passing me by"  
"I'll talk to them in the morning"  
"I'm sorry for making you choose"  
"You didn't make me choose. From the moment I fell for you, you have always been my choice"  
With his free hand, Levi cupped Eren's cheek, practically choking on the emotions the teen had stirred. Even the mere thought of letting him go was too much. Mikasa and Armin may have been a major factor in their advancement, but Eren's happiness came first. His healing and their journey together, for his sake, and that of their children came first. Nuzzling into Levi's palm, Eren sighed softly   
"Eren. I don't mind"  
"I do. I always show you all my bad sides"  
"Not all. In my time with you, there's one thing I can say with all certainty. You always find new ways to surprise me"  
"I like how you didn't deny I have shitty sides"  
"I put up with yours, just like you put up with mine"  
"Your shitty sides are what made me fall even more for you"  
"Sina, brat. Have I told you lately how weird you are?"  
"No. You haven't spent much time with me, and when we're together, we're either sleeping or eating with the others"  
"I'm sorry"  
"No... no more sorry. Sorry doesn't change the way things were or what happened"  
"You just don't want to admit you shouldn't have fought those werewolves alone"  
"I don't regret it. It's the most alive I've felt in months"  
"Did they hurt you?"  
"I've already healed. It felt good to shift"  
"It was dangerous. What if you'd gotten stuck in your wolf form?"  
"I'm already dreaming of wolves, maybe it's a sign"  
"What would the twins would have done if you couldn't have shifted back?"  
"They would have been fine without me"  
"They love you"  
"It's hard to feel love when you're not allowed to provide for them"  
"Mikasa and Armin will return to the castle, and we'll ride for the ocean"  
"That's all I want. To taste freedom with you and our children. Then, we can figure out how to free everyone else"  
"Yeah..."


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support... things should be picking up again shortly so I'm sorry if I've bored you

Mikasa and Armin hadn't wanted to leave. Levi had left Eren sleeping through the conversation because he knew if his partner were awake, he'd feel betrayed by Levi's words. Still apprehensive about what lay beyond the wall, and unknown actions of Zeke and his clan, Levi had given them a new mission. Two weeks. They were to ride back to the castle and relay his message to Hanji only. In two weeks, they would follow, plotting a course straight from Shinganshima to the coast. If something happened beyond the walls, and he and Eren were separated, he knew Mikasa and Armin would stop at nothing to track Eren down. If he was somehow killed, or injured, Eren would soon have help and back-up coming in the form of the Survey Corps. Hanji would bully absolutely everyone she had to, and it wasn't as if Eren didn't have fans or allies. Even if Erwin was to be taken u to custody, the Government would have to risk sending its own men beyond the walls to retrieve them. Eren wouldn't be impressed at the time limit now placed on his recovery, but his safety, along with the safety of Rilee and Eli came first. With his abilities to shift working again, Levi was confident that Eren could find a way to keep himself and their children alive until help arrived, or at least get them back within Shinganshima. He had to believe in the teen's strength, after making him feel so insignificant for so long. 

Mikasa and Armin had stayed long enough to say an awkward farewell to Eren. Levi couldn't blame his fiancé for being confused over their willingness to leave, but once they had, he caught Eren sighing in relief. He knew the pair had been overly attentive towards the twins in an attempt to show Eren they were sorry, when they needed to use their words instead, but Eren hadn't quite figured it out for himself. When he did, perhaps he'd find a way to forgive them. And so, their party fell back to just the four of them. Eren pouring everything he could into taking care of the twins, and finally loosening up to finish the meals Levi made for him. Things were slowly changing, and he had to believe they'd get better.

 

*  
With Shinganshima in his sight, Eren stared in disgust at the broken and open gates that Hanji and Armin had worked so hard to fill. There were signs of recent works in the area, and the scents that hung in the air left his nose running from irritation. He didn't know the scent, only that it didn't leave him with confidence when it came to taking those first few steps outside the wall... snorting to himself, he supposed the fact the gates were open was a measure of some proof that Zeke hadn't been lying to him. Shinganshima was open, and something was coming.

Drawing back from his position, Eren climbed from the tree with a weary sigh. He'd left Levi with the twins, hidden in the trees close to the wall where they'd be protected. Getting his fiancé to agree hadn't been as hard as he'd expected, no doubt Levi was trying to make it up to him, though Eren had been the one in the wrong. It'd hurt to twist and use Levi's love for him against the man. He hadn't wanted to play the "me or card" against Levi, but it'd been the only way to make him truly understand that he wasn't coping. Letting his body shift to his wolf form, he relished the feeling of power it brought. He felt alive. Unstoppable. His paws thudding as loud as his heart as he ran back towards his family. This feeling of freedom... he might still be within Wall Maria, but this form brought far more freedom than his human form.

Levi was sitting by the morning fire, the twins sleeping in their tent. Struck by a need of playfulness, Eren trotted right up to Levi, before giving his face a long wet lick  
"Oi! Brat, what was that for?!"  
Nudging Levi's chest with his muzzle, he kept at it until Levi finally wrapped his arms around him  
"Calm down you"  
There was no bite to Levi's words, if anything he sounded as happy at Eren currently felt. Growling, he yipped as he planted himself down in Levi's lap  
"I forgot how heavy you are in your wolf form. You're squashing me"  
Huffing, he licked Levi's face again, before shifting back into his human form  
"I'm not fat"  
"No, just heavy. You seem happy, how did scouting go?"  
"We should wait until night. Something's happening there"  
"Something?"  
"The smell was weird. People have been there lately"  
"Did you see anyone?"  
"No, just lots of fresh scents that made my nose hurt"  
"That means we have a whole day to rest"  
"Probably... sorry for... well..."  
"For being a playful shit?"  
"I missed being a wolf"  
"I noticed. It's fine. I haven't seen you that happy in a while"  
"Life is so much easier as a wolf"  
"Just don't forget your human side"  
"I think I have more going for me as a wolf"  
He didn't have his pudgy stomach to worry about. He didn't have his small breasts. He didn't have the pain from riding...  
"As much as I love your wolf, I like your human form better"  
Eren's lips turned down at the edges  
"My human form is useless"  
"You're not useless"  
"As a wolf, I can protect you"  
"And as your fiancé, you should know I don't need protection"  
"Oh... in that case..."  
Wriggling out of Levi's hold, the man caught his fingertips before he could run away. His feelings of inadequacy easily stirred by the comment  
"Eren?"  
"No..."  
"You know you don't have to protect me, don't you?"  
"I don't... I don't want to be the one protected all the time. I want to stand by your side and be useful"  
"Come back here brat"  
Pouting, Eren was pulled back down by Levi, who sat him between his legs and wrapped his arms firmly around him  
"You know you're not useless, don't you?"  
"Levi"  
"Eren"  
"Words don't fix a broken mind"  
"Neither do extreme actions"  
"So it's better to not even try?"  
"I didn't say that either"  
"Then what? You know I missed shifting. You know it feels good for me to be in my wolf form... so why are you mad at me?"  
"I'm not mad at you"  
"Really?"  
"I'm not mad at you. You're my fiancé remember. My partner. You don't need to protect me, because we're a team. We work together"  
"You could have just said that instead of making me feel shit"  
"I didn't mean to make you feel shit"  
Eren let out a sigh  
"It's all because I'm messed up... you even had to send Mikasa and Armin back because of it"  
"If you're asking if I miss them, then no. And if Shinganshima is dangerous, than it's better they're gone"  
"But you're stuck with me again..."  
"I wouldn't say stuck. What else did you see in Shinganshima?"  
"Both gates are open again. I wouldn't trust the land or the water... the whole place just feels wrong"  
"How?"  
"Like it's a giant trap... I don't know... my instinct didn't like it"  
"We can go over with our gear"  
"But what about the horses?"  
"They'll find their way back to the castle"  
"It might be safer... I still wouldn't move until night"  
"Alright. I trust your judgement"  
Eren's heart felt like it skipped a beat. Levi trusted his judgment! It was something stupid to feel happy over, his inner demons immediately scolding him. Trusting his judgement was different to trusting him...  
"Eren?"  
"It's... nothing. We should eat, and you should feed"  
"You want me to feed?"  
Levi sounded like he'd never consider feeding from Eren in his life. Like he was completely shocked over the idea...  
"You don't want my blood?"  
"I haven't felt the need to feed since the twins were born"  
"Then forget it"  
"No. You know I would have talked to you about it if I had"  
"I get it! It was wrong of me to ask"  
"It wasn't wrong. I'm just surprised"  
"I can fucking tell. Let me go"  
"Not until we talk this out"  
"What's there to talk about? I said you should feed and you acted like it was the last thing you wanted"  
"Why do you want me to feed?"  
"It seemed like a good idea. We don't know what we're walking into, and if you don't want me to protect you, you need to be able to protect yourself. I know you haven't been feeding from me. I just thought... maybe it would be a good idea to be prepared..."  
You want me to feed for my sake?"  
"Didn't I just say that?"  
"But what about you? What do you want me to do? You know how it feels"  
It'd been two weeksish since he'd given birth. Thanks to his shifting powers finally returning, the trauma from it all had finally healed. He felt as sexy as sack of potatoes, but he really was scared for what was coming. If they were sidetracking Shinganshima, than these were the last hours he'd spend in the wall... possibly forever. He knew once Levi started feeding, he wouldn't be able to deny the pleasure, even if he didn't really want to have sex or be touched that way... sex... his mind blanked at the thought, before he let out a shaky gasp of realisation  
"Eren?"  
"I'm not pregnant"  
"No?"  
"Sex... leads to babies. I..."  
"I don't need to feed"  
"You... you need your strength. Just... I can't fall pregnant again.... I can't..."  
His breath was in coming in in pants. He couldn't have another baby... not so soon... not when Rilee and Eli needed him... and not when... not when he could have another sick child  
"Eren, calm down. There's no way I can feed from you, not when you're like this"  
"You need to!"  
"No. Here, just breathe for me"  
"I am breathing!"  
"You're panting"  
"That's because I'm fucking scared! I want this. I want you to feed. I want you to be strong! We're not going to have the walls to protect us! You need to be... you need to feed. Please, for the twins... for me"  
"Why are you scared?"  
"I don't want to fall pregnant again..."  
"Is that all?"  
"I'm scared of what's outside the wall. That Zeke is going to be right there waiting for us. Ok"  
"Zeke won't stop us"  
"How do you know that?"  
"Because I promised you we'd see the ocean. That we'd get Rilee there"  
"And Eli"  
"And Eli"  
"I feel like... I feel like he gets forgotten..."  
"I haven't forgotten him. This wish may be for Rilee, but I know you want him to see the ocean just as badly"  
"I do"  
"I'll feed, for you"  
"Thank you"  
"But we're not going to have sex. Not yet"  
"I... I'm healed"  
"You panicked over the possibility of falling pregnant. Your body might have healed, but we both know your mind is still getting there"  
"Then how..."  
"I'll feed, and give you some release"  
"What about you?"  
"Don't worry about me"  
"I don't... Levi, feeding... you feel it too. With me, don't you?"  
Sina. His words weren't cooperating  
"Brat. Do you want to try that again?"  
His cheeks flamed  
"I... you get aroused. I... want to do it with you. I don't want to be the only one feeling good"  
Levi snorted, nosing at his scent gland  
"You want to touch me too?"  
"Yes!"  
His voice shot right up. Given how many times they'd had sex, he shouldn't be this nervous about admitting he wanted to touch his fiancé. Fuck. He was such an idiot, and seriously uncool  
"Alright brat. We'll eat, check the twins, then I'll feed"  
"O-ok"

 

*  
With Eren sitting in his lap, the teen had both his arms and legs wrapped around as Levi gently nipped at the soft skin of his shoulder. He'd wanted to lay the teen down and do this properly, but Eren had been shaking like a leaf. His brat climbing into his lap and clinging, the moment Levi had stripped his pants off. Nuzzling softly, he massaged the small of Eren's back, trying to relax Eren enough for the teen to enjoy the moment  
"Are you ready?"  
Letting out a squeak, Eren nodded his fingertips digging further into Levi's back  
"We don't have to do this"  
"I want to..."  
"Will you look at me?"  
"I'm embarrassed"  
"What do you have to be embarrassed about?"  
"My body"  
"Is beautiful"  
"It's... pudgy"  
"You're adjusting from carrying two humans inside of you"  
Kissing his way up Eren's neck, the teen let out a small moan  
"You watched me give birth"  
"What's wrong with that?"  
"Don't you find me disgusting?"  
"How could I find it disgusting?"  
"Because I was a mess"  
"You were strong. You pushed through your pain and you birthed our children"  
"I was covered in my own... stuff"  
"So? If I had been in your place, would you not want me?"  
"What? No. You're gorgeous"  
"So why can't I want you?"  
"Because I'm... me"  
"Silly brat... I want you"  
Eren should be able to feel how he wanted him, all it took was the feel of his naked body against his, to make him achingly hard. Finally reaching Eren's lips, he pushed a hard kiss to them, Eren obliging him as the kiss deepened, his grip on Levi's back loosening as they shared several deep kisses before breaking apart  
"You're a silly brat. How could I ever not want you?"  
"Levi..."  
Eren's breath trembled, the teen letting go with his left hand to lower it to Levi's thigh  
"Please..."

Biting just shy of Eren's scent gland, Eren rolled his hips as he let out a long moan. The rich blood rushing into Levi's mouth had him moaning at the sensations coursing through his body. It was like a shock to his senses. The senses he didn't realise had become so dull without Eren's blood. Using his hand against Levi's thigh, Eren raised himself up, trying to awkwardly mount him, without letting control. With a frustrated groan, Levi's dick slipped, rubbing against Eren's inner thigh  
"Fuck... fuck me"  
Pulling Eren down, the teen quickly freed his hand from between Levi and the ground, placing it on the man's shoulder as his other hand guided his erection to Eren's wet opening. Easing his teeth back, Levi's words were muffled  
"Are you sure you want this?"  
"I want to feel connected"  
Nodding, Eren slowly sunk down, drawing long moans from both of them. His brat's body really was amazing. His arse so tight and wet as the walls sucked him in deeper. Fuck. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to last  
"Sina... alpha..."  
With his neck trapped in Levi's bite, Eren rode him the best he could. His brat dissolving into chanting his name as Levi thrust up to meet Eren's every move. They were flirting with disaster, Eren fucking him recklessly as if his fears of pregnancy were forgotten while Levi could feel his orgasm building. Even precum held sperm  
"Fuck Levi... fuck..."  
Using both hands to shove him down, his fangs tore flesh from Eren's shoulder as he kept him pinned down. With his head lolled back and his small breasts bouncing, the sight before him was hypnotic  
"Yes... fuck... fuck... so close..."  
Taking Eren's erection in his hand, he jerked him off, the teen coming within seconds. His cry of pleasure nearly a howl as thick cum splattered across Levi's chest. Forcing himself from his lover's heat, Levi's own orgasm hit. Coming across Eren's arse and inner thighs as his erection slipped up to rub Eren's flagging one. Exhausted, his teen slumped across him. Both of them basking in their high.

Regaining their breath, Eren nuzzled into neck, kissing and nipping playfully  
"Brat?"  
"Fuck... I needed that"  
Levi snorted. How could he not snort at that?  
Making his way to Levi's lips, Eren granted him a sloppy kiss  
"What was that for?"  
"Thank you for not coming inside"  
"It really does scare you, doesn't it?"  
"I keep thinking... of those poor mothers forced to bear child after child. How exhausted they always look. How their husband would beat them and force them to bear even more. And Levi... it hurt. It hurt so much... I felt like... like wasn't going to make it. I can't... I couldn't breath. I thought they had me again. That they were there. I could feel them on my skin. I could hear them..."  
Eren hadn't told him that last bit before. Hugging his brat tighter, he moved his right hand to Eren's hair, his fingertips massaging his scalp as he murmured softly  
"They'll never get you"  
"You don't know that"  
"I do. And I definitely know I was the only one there for the birth"  
"Sometimes I still hear them... I think I'm going crazy"  
"You're no crazier than you were when I met you"  
"When I met you, I didn't have twins or a fiancé"  
"And look at us now"  
"What? Naked and covered in cum and slick?"  
"Under the sky, with no one else around"  
"Fuck... shit... the twins..."  
"Were sleeping. Rilee would have let us know if we were making too much noise"  
"She really is the more vocal one of the two. Sometimes I worry for Eli. That there's something wrong"  
"He's happy and he's healthy. They're both strong and stubborn"  
"Like you"  
"I was thinking more like you"  
Twisting, Eren rolled them over, holding Levi close  
"The sky really is blue... do you think the ocean will be just as blue?"  
"I have no idea. Are you sure you're alright with me laying across you?"  
"It feels... you feel warm and safe"  
"I try. If you're tired, you can nap"  
"No. I mean, I want to nap, but for now I need this"  
"You need me stuck to you?"  
"Mmm. Preferably all the time, unless I want space... but never stray too far"  
This whole afternoon had been more than Levi dared hope for. He'd let Eren scout ahead because he wanted to show him he valued and trusted him, but that had lead to him shifting and coming back in a better mood than he'd been in since before giving birth. Even admitting he was scared of what was to come, before allowing him between his legs and to hold his precious form. His fiancé still loved and wanted him... and by the growing erection against his thigh, it seemed he wanted him all over again  
"No matter what comes, we'll face it together"  
"Thank you"

 

*  
They left the horses to wander through Shinganshima, passing over the wall in the cover of night. It felt like they were being watched, leaving them both on edge as they moved towards the unknown. Eren's new gear didn't quite sit right, the straps digging deeply into his feet so his fiancé. He could tell from the way he limped, but Eren never uttered a word of the pain he must have been in. Both of them too anxious to get to the safety of the closest tree line. They'd done it. They'd set foot outside the walls and now were "free" as Eren called it. Free from the three walls that contained the remnants of humanity. From the walls that contained the lies of their corrupt government and free from all ties that previously bound them... other than the small fact that Mikasa and Armin would be coming for them in two weeks time... which he still hadn't told Eren about. He almost regretted that the pair had left them before reaching Shinganshima. It'd raised Eren's spirits, but his message could be sending the entirety of the Survey Corps to their death. Provided Mike went with the expedition, the man should be able to alert the others to the scents that had troubled Eren's nose. Waiting until they were hidden by the trees, Levi then whistled for their horses. Between hours laying tangled up in Eren's hold, and preparing to head over the wall, they were both fatigued. Rilee had thrown a massive tantrum just as the sun had begun to set, working Eli and Eren both up to the point that his three family members were all crying just as hard as each other. She hadn't been happy even after being fed, washed down and changed. Eventually wearing herself out enough that she fell quite in Levi's hold. It'd taken Eren nearly half an hour to calm back down, then another half an hour before he'd finally look in his direction.

Levi had nearly given up on their horses when he finally caught the sound of hooves approaching. Eren's horse looked spooked, shifting its weight skittishly while his own moved to almost hide behind Eren. It wasn't a good sign of the horses were spooked. They were designed to face battle, to face werewolves, yet something had spooked them  
"The scent of Shinganshima clings to them"  
"They're spooked"  
"I noticed... I don't like this"  
"Like what?"  
"How spooked they are. They're trained for battle"  
Levi nodded  
"I was just thinking the same thing. We should get moving. We need to stick close to the trees"  
"How far do you want to push on?"  
"As far as possible, but that depends on how you feel"  
"I'm fine"  
"You're not fine"  
Eren rolled his eyes as he huffed  
"Can we just accept that my saying of "I'm fine" means I'm up to continuing?"  
"No. I need to know just how your feeling, otherwise we risk your health"  
"I'm healed. I'm even healed from the afternoon"  
"You're the one who pushed me down"  
"I like a little pain with pleasure"  
"Keep this up and I might have to spank you"  
"I don't think I'm up to spanking..."  
"I was joking, brat"  
"Sure you were. Are you alright? Did you take enough blood?"  
"I got plenty, but you should know that"  
"Then we should go. I don't like it here"

Putting Shinganshima behind them, they rode until Eren finally pulled his horse to halt. The mare snorting as if annoyed  
"Brat?"  
"Here. Here seems safe"  
"You want to make camp here?"  
"In the trees. I can't smell anything fresh, but it'll be safer in the trees"  
"We could probably press on"  
"No. The sun will be up in a few hours, and Eli needs to be changed"  
Looking up, the branches practically blocked the sky from view. They'd both been relying on their sharper than normal vision, but even then that only allowed for maybe five metres of dim vision  
"We'll need to find a few branches strong enough to support the tent"  
"I'll say down here with the twins while you head up"  
"What? Don't you want to go climbing trees again?"  
"No. I want to get off my horse and get some sleep. We're going to have to fix these straps"  
"If you stopped growing, we wouldn't have this problem"  
"I didn't ask to be this tall"  
"No. You used to be a short arse"  
"You mean I used to be a more appropriate height"  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"It's nothing..."  
"Eren"  
"Fine. Looking at us a couple, people are more likely to find you more feminine than I am"  
"Feminine? Because I'm short?"  
"There's that. There's also that soft white skin of yours, and your sharp cheekbones. Youre deceptively slim and gentle frame. You're all kinds of beautiful"  
"And you're full of shit"  
He didn't want to be "feminine" or "beautiful". It didn't matter to him that Eren was male. He thought they're relationship went beyond labels. Of sexual roles. If Eren ever wanted to explore topping him, than he'd be open to exploring that side too. Their sex was always amazing, Eren always so open and vulnerable to him  
"I didn't mean to upset you. I just mean... if people were to look at the twins, they'd think them more your children than mine"  
"You're still dribbling shit. Here, hop down so you can take Rilee. We'll need to scout out fresh water for the horses"  
"And for bathing. I know we don't have much left after cleaning the twins up"  
They had four skins of water between them, with Mikasa and Armin's help, they'd been able to collect and find small amount of water on the trip. Having not stopped in Shinganshima, they were now down to barely a canteen full. If worst came to worse, his thirst could be sated by Eren's blood, but that didn't solve the issue of what Eren would drink. They'd have to risk crossing the plain and scouting out the condition of the river. Hopefully it hadn't been poisoned, or ruined by whoever had breached Shinganshima.

Sleeping in a tent in the trees wasn't Levi's idea of fun. Even if the ropes securing the tent were thick and sturdy, each sway set his nerves on edge. Eren however, seemed perfectly content. Or maybe he was too tired to care. His boots were the first thing to come off as soon as the tent was secure enough for Eren to bring the twins up. The teen's straps had left his feet bloodied, yet Eren wouldn't let him clean them down. Not until they had a safe supply of water. Instead, his fiancé had wrapped a dirty shirt around them so they wouldn't mess up their blankets. With their afternoon activities, he'd thought Eren would maybe want to sleep beside him, but the teen had taken his usual right side of the tent, with their twins between them. Eli pulled close to him, Eren's face next to their baby boy's as they slept. Eren might worry that all their energy was going into Rilee, but he each and every night, he always preferred to sleep like this with Eli right by him.

When morning came, Levi had barely slept. While Eren had slept like a log. He'd woken up for twins morning feed, before falling asleep sitting up with Rilee in his arms. Taking their daughter once she was done feeding, Eren had promptly fallen backwards with a loud snore and his breasts still exposed. Rather than waking him, he'd let him get the four or so extra hours of sleep between feeds. After pushing himself through bloodied feet and sore hips, he deserved some reward... which Eren had appreciated, before leaving him with the twins so the teen could go scout for water.

The cheeky shit came back wet, with the three empty skins filled. Shaking himself off, the horse backed away as he sent water in every direction  
"I take it you decided to take a bath?"  
Eren nodded as he shifted back  
"Yeah. I thought it might help with scent. They're a few different scents out near the river that I don't know. They seemed familiar... but I couldn't place them"  
"Familiar? As in people familiar or forest familiar?"  
"I don't know. I just got out of there as soon as I was clean and the skins were filled"  
"That's probably for the best. Any tracks or evidence?"  
"No. I've been thinking about Zeke"  
"What about him?"  
It was hard to keep the bitterness out his tone. The man had shot him, and left them both unconscious... as good as leaving him for dead. The pain he'd put Eren through with his words just added another layer to his dislike for the man that claimed to be Eren's brother  
"I've just been thinking about the things he said. He wanted to take me away from here... so why haven't we seen him? We both felt it... the feeling like we were being watched, but if it was him, why didn't he try anything?"  
"Because he knows I will cut him down where he stands if he did"  
"He could easily shoot either of us"  
"Then what are you trying to say?"  
"What if Zeke wasn't the one watching us?"  
"Do you seriously believe anyone else would be interested in us?"  
"He said he had a clan. That Grisha came from beyond the walls. That has to mean there are more people out here somewhere"  
"And what? You want to find them?"  
"Not right away"  
"Are you serious?"  
"I didn't mean right now. I... I want to know why everything had to happen"  
"It happened because your father ran off. He abandoned his first family, then he abandoned you"  
"I know that! But I still need to know why?"  
"Why do you want to know about a man who openly admitted to experimenting on you"  
"Because I need to! I need to know why he came. What he left behind and what was so bad that he never went back to his first family"  
"And who do you expect to learn all that?"  
"I... I want to talk to Zeke"  
"The man who shot me!"  
"I know he shot you. But he knows what's coming!"  
"When did you decided all this?"  
"I've been thinking about it for a while"  
"Eren, you literally told me yesterday you were still scared of the Government soldiers. Now you want to talk to the very people who..."  
"Who bombed the Capital and broke the gates. I want to know why they did it. Why after so many years things are finally changing"  
"What happened to seeing the ocean?"  
"I still want to..."  
"But?"  
"But I want to know this too. If something's coming and we could have prevented it, don't we have to try"  
"Why? Why don't we get to be happy? When do we get to sit back and enjoy our family? I've brought you this far! Is this even still about Rilee?"  
"Of course it's about her! I want all of us to see the ocean! But if I get the chance to face Zeke, I need to know what happened. Why he left us like that. Why he took my journal and my papers. Why he bombed the Government. He could lead us to other shifters. You said Grisha's journal said everyone had a bit of wolf blood in them, so why can't they shift into wolves?"  
"He left us die because he wanted us to suffer. His father. Your father left him behind and he started a new family. I hardly think it's going to be the touching reunion you're expecting"  
"I'm not expecting that! I'm prepared to stop him if I need to. But I also need to understand"  
"Can't you just focus on getting better? On us getting to the ocean? On our children?!"  
"How can I get better when all I have are my thoughts?!"  
"All you have... so what do we mean to you? Are we just thoughts?"  
"Don't twist my words"  
"Then don't be stupid"  
"Sina! Why don't you get it?! You three, you're my family. You're my everything. But how can I be with you, if someone comes along and slaughters everyone we know? What happens when everything on this island is destroyed? Where do we go?"  
"The Government is to blame for the fall of Shinganshima"  
"And the people who employ Zeke are to blame for the attacks. What if they plan to wipe us all out?! Where will be safe for us then? What about Erwin and Hanji and Mike and Moblit?! Petra's family? Olou's family? Everyone within the walls means something to someone. What happens when they're all dead? When we could change that?! All I want is somewhere safe. Somewhere we don't have to live in fear. Where we can love each other and raise our children without so much senseless death. If Zeke knows what's coming, then we have to talk to him"  
"Why does it have to be us?"  
"Because you're the one read the truth and I'm the abomination. We're the two closest to the truth, out of everyone in the walls. We're the ones out here and free... we're the ones who are going to see the truth with our own eyes"  
"At what price?"  
"What?"  
"If changing things were to cost you your life, you'll throw yourself away without a second thought"  
"I..."  
"Don't even deny it Eren. I know you well enough to know how you work"  
"I don't want to die"  
"You might not want to, but if Zeke told you to die in order to protect everyone, you would. You'd leave us behind"  
"If it mean saving you..."  
"Don't you get it? Without you, there's no point"  
"What about Rilee and Eli?"  
"How can I raise them, knowing I didn't stop your death?!"  
"I'm not going to die! You're not listening to my words. I want to go to the ocean. I want to see it for myself, with you and the twins. If we cross paths with Zeke, then we'll talk. I don't want to seek him out. I don't want to track him down. Not when the twins are so small and relying on us. I want a life with you, and I want to kill every werewolf we can along the way"  
"That's a great way to get yourself killed"  
"Coming from you?! Don't think I didn't know you were killing werewolves while I was pregnant!"  
"You can't just throw yourself at problem and hope it works out! Like the other night. Tell me that you regained full sanity while a Lycan!?"  
"I don't regret killing them! I don't regret using my powers to protect you"  
"Then go right ahead. Die a fools death"  
"Would you stop killing me off so easily!? I'm not looking for death"  
"That's what it sounds like"  
"I don't question your motives and actions. When you have nightmares, I don't bring up the things you say because I respect you. Right now, you've pissed me right off. You're acting like my death is the only way out. It's not. How many times do I have to say that all I want is answers?"  
"Answers that could end up with you dead, or tortured again"  
"Fuck this. I thought long and hard about this. After bathing and swimming and having some me time, I finally felt confident enough to tell you that I wanted to talk to Zeke, if the opportunity presented itself. Because I wanted you to keep a cool head and not rush to kill him. I want him dead for hurting you and for risking our family, but I understand that we need to know more about everything happening around us. I wanted to ask you to be my backup. So we could approach this thing together, like going to ocean was supposed to be together. Whenever it comes to me, you lose your head. I love you for wanting to protect me, and I know I'm the same when it comes to you... but right now, I don't want to talk to you. This was supposed to be a normal conversation, and yet we're yelling at each other. You know. Something we could sit down and hash out together. Instead you got angry at me. You dismissed me and you kept trying to say I don't care about you or our children, and that all I'm good for is sacrificing myself. I wanted a plan. Not a fight. I don't feel like Zeke has been the one watching, but I can't get my dream of 5 wolves out my mind. If he's one of them, that means there are four more we need to look out for. That's all I wanted to talk about. So fuck off and think about that. I'll be ready to listen when you're not being an enormous arsehole"

Maybe he had slightly jumped the gun... it was just Zeke was bad news and dangerous. They were in enough danger as it was. Outside the walls where werewolves roamed free. Days away from help if anything was to go wrong. The last thing needed was to seek out even more danger, especially when the bombings meant Zeke was backed by some exceptionally powerful people. The logistics alone meant there had to be some kind of traitor within the walls. How else could they have possibly gotten in carrying explosives? It wasn't like the Garrison Regiment or Military Police let just anyone who approached Trost's gate in... and as far as he knew, they didn't have the gear to be scaling the walls. But he also knew that what he'd said was right. If Zeke offered Eren the chance to save everyone by sacrificing himself, the teen would get it into his mind that that was the only way. He struggled to see how beautiful and precious his existence was, and how his death would be a loss, not just to Levi and the twins, but to everyone he'd ever saved. Some might tell the teen he deserved it, but Eren really didn't. In fact, Levi was momentarily happy when he'd heard of the trouble in the Capital because those bastards were the ones who'd fucked with his fiancé, and the attack was a small example of the things he wished he could do himself. He wanted to tear all of them from power, degrade them with the same chains used on Eren, them then march them into the battlefield. They'd all be slaughtered for messing with Eren, the least they could do was apologise with their death. Eren would naturally blanch at such things. His still pure heart hated to see "unnecessary" blood shed, especially over his account. Levi didn't understand how the brat didn't realise that he'd do absolutely everything to keep him close, even if it meant making an enemy of the whole world. He'd given up so much, so many months, just to stay with the teen. To keep him safe and to help him come back to reality. Eren wanting to meet Zeke felt like a slap in the face. He'd very nearly lost the twins from stress. The twins that he'd been carrying still by some absolute miracle. Why couldn't their family be enough? Why did he have to know more? Why wasn't he enough...?

 

*  
Riding ahead of Levi, Eren had both twins against his chest as he ignored the man. He was furious. He'd stupidly thought that Levi would understand why he needed to know what was coming. How could they prepare for a future together, when they didn't know what was coming? All he wanted was for all this to come to an end. No more of his friends would have to die. No more senseless death and more importantly, a safe world where their children weren't condemned to live inside the walls until ending up in the jaws of a werewolf. Why didn't Levi understand? He wasn't exactly going out of his way to track down Zeke. He did realise how dangerous he was... but if Zeke made a move against them, or their paths crossed, he wanted to know more. Why was being with a vampire a sin? Why couldn't everyone shift? Why did his love for Levi feel like they were made for each other? Why were his children a sin? Was there something bad with them being half vampire and half werewolf? Was that why Rilee was so sick? He didn't know anything, and Zeke did. It was that simple. He wasn't rushing to his death and he didn't want to die. Why couldn't Levi understand? Besides, if something was coming and they could have prevented it, didn't they have an obligation to do something?!

When the werewolves finally came, Eren smelt them before they saw them. Using his gear to throw himself off his horse, he hissed as his straps cut back into his feet. Following his lead, Levi landed beside him, both their anchors supporting their weight in a tree that looked ready to snap  
"Wolves?"  
Nodding, Eren narrowed his eyes as he hunted for them, his nose twitching as their wet scent grew stronger  
"Take the twins"  
"What?"  
"Take the twins. There's too many for you to take on"  
"Are you serious?"  
"We don't have time for this"  
"You're not going in alone"  
"This isn't the time for this. There's a pack coming and you need to take the twins"  
"If it's just a pack, I'll take care of it"  
They didn't have time for this! Every second meant the pack were growing closer. Levi might be strong, but he was in unknown territory. Looking around, he couldn't even somewhere safe to set the twins down. The trees had grown sparser as they'd kept moving parallel to the river  
"We don't have time for this. Just take the twins"  
Forcing their children into his hold, Levi glared at him like he was thoroughly disappointed in his actions. It was a shit feeling, but Levi would just have to suck it up. He was the best choice. His gear didn't fit properly, each movement in his gear only caused pain. Levi had the right gear and years more experience. He make the right choice and Eren trusted him. His straps were too tight and he'd been too tired to adjust them the night before. If he couldn't use his gear properly, then he couldn't protect his children properly. 

Leaving his small family behind, Eren shifted into his Lycan form, howling to draw attention to himself. Plunging deeper, he raced towards the cause of the scent, finding the pack of 6, far too close to his family for him to be comfortable. With anger coursing through his veins, he launched himself at the first wolf, its jaws snapping around his arm as his teeth ripped through its nape. One down... 5 to go...

Despite the fact there were only 6 wolves, Eren didn't shift back once they were slayed. His abused and steaming body moved further from where he'd left Levi, his howls a challenge to anyone or anything in the area... a challenge that was eagerly accepted by another pack approximately 200 hundred metres from where he'd left his lover.

By the time Levi finally caught up with him, following the trail of destruction he'd left, Eren was exhausted. His howls had been a great idea at the time, but not so much when pack after pack attacked. He'd had to shift in and out of his human form, dodging blows and sharp claws as he ran, or he'd never have survived it all... not that he was going to admit that to Levi. Resting at the base of a large oak, Eren felt completely fucked. He'd lost all sense of direction, and pulling himself out of his last shift had been pained and forced. His body not wanting to let go of the intoxicating feelings it brought. Giving Levi a weary smile, his fiancé clicked his tongue as he looked down at him from his horse  
"You look like you had a good time"  
"Yeah... there were more than I was expecting... are you alright?"  
"We're fine..."  
Eren swore he heard the unsaid "no thanks to you" that followed. His exhausted state making it so much harder for him to keep his emotions under control. Sullenly, he lowered his head  
"We can't rest here. Your howls would have drawn every wolf in the area, not mention the howls of the werewolves"  
"I don't think anything else is coming"  
"We're still moving. Get up and get on your horse. You're fucking filthy"  
What did Levi have to be so fucking cranky about? He'd killed the werewolves. He'd easily killed two dozen, maybe even more. He'd fought hard to keep them from Levi's position. It wasn't fair for him to be so mad  
"Yes, sir"  
Levi sighed, but didn't move as Eren climbed to his feet. His whole body was throbbing, his eyes burning from sweat. Hobbling over to his horse, he bit his lip to keep from groaning as his busted hands gripped the saddle. It was too much effort to fight. He loved Levi, but why couldn't he give him more credit?

By the time they finally made camp, Eren was too tired to try and talk to Levi about how the day had gone. He was too tired to even eat dinner. He cleaned himself up, cleaned the twins up, then promptly went to sleep.

 

*  
Levi had known reaching the ocean would be no picnic. The last three days of their journey had been ridiculous. Wolf after wolf had attacked, his gear no good for the endlessly flat terrain, while Eren had been no good for his heart. The teen had collapsed from exhaustion, blood pouring from his nose and refusing his help. Then there was the fact that Rilee had had some kind of relapse, he'd woken to find Eren frantically rifling through their bags for a syringe set he didn't even know Hanji had gifted them. Watching Eren work, it was like the world he was in was just comprised of himself and Rilee. His hands steady as he drained the fluid from her lungs that Levi didn't even know had accumulated. Eren exhausting himself further as he monitored their daughter's condition nonstop for the day. When she was finally stabilised, Eren had sobbed. His brat had clung to him, begging him to forgive him. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be forgiving, especially when Eren's sentences seemed to jump from idea to idea. Just because things had been shitty and awkward, didn't mean Eren needed to have a breakdown over it. Maybe he was more mentally stressed than he'd thought? He was getting angry because his partner was crying over their sick daughter. 

 

And then, it finally came. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs had Eren wriggling in his saddle. The teen's face bright before the ocean even came into the view. And when it did, Levi had no words for the world of brilliant blue laid out before them. He'd never thought something like this could really exist. From where on the cliffs, it looked like the ocean went on forever  
"It's beautiful..."  
"It is..."  
"Levi... thank you for everything"  
Mesmerised by the sight in front of him, it wasn't until there was a thud followed by Eli's cry that Levi tore his eyes from the seemingly endless horizon. Laying on his back, Eren was unconscious beside his horse, Eli forced to come for the unexpected ride. Careful not to jostle Rilee, Levi climbed from his horse to rush to his fiancé. Leaving Eren laying there, he lifted Eli from his hold. The boy screaming his unhappiness over it all  
"Shh, you're ok. You just had a bit of a shock... shhh, daddy's got you"  
Rilee started grizzling, not happy over her brother's cries. Of all the places Eren could have collapsed, here definitely wasn't the best option. The steep cliffs, now behind him, only lead to the ocean. While the sweeping grass offered no protection from attacks. Holding Eli until he hushed, he laid him down before laying Rilee down next to him, and turning his attention back to Eren.

Eren was warm with fever, though shivers ran through the teen's unconscious form. His colour was pale, while his lips were dried and cracked. How had he failed to notice this? Shaking him by the shoulder's, Eren didn't stir. Shit. He couldn't stay here with him like this. They needed to find somewhere safer. In the dream his mind had concocted, Eren would still be sitting on his horse. The two of them staring down at the brilliant blue in awe. Not this. Not Eren passing out from illness the moment they arrived. He should have been firmer. He shouldn't have let him fight the werewolves at all. He shouldn't have let Eren pack and prepare to head out. Ever since they'd left the walls, his head hadn't been on the mission. He let things fester for too long, and surely this was his punishment.


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know. This wasn't supposed to still be going. But fuck... I seen to be incapable of writing short fucking story. I coulda just ended it all at the babies... but noooo.
> 
> Excuse me while I walk off a cliff. Please feel free to write your own ending

Waking to find the off-white roof of their tent staring down at him, Eren coughed weakly. He felt like he'd fallen off the top of the wall, and been run over by a pack of werewolves the moment he'd hit the ground. Yawning, he pushed the blankets back, the tent empty aside from his own presence. He didn't even know what had happened, only that his family wasn't here and the sound of water was making him need to pee. Crawling from the tent, his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The blues and greens glittering from sun, while small waves splashed and broke on the soft brown shore. The ocean. He was actually looking at the ocean. Rushing forward, he tripped as his bare feet dug into the sand, struggling up, he didn't stop until he reached the water. Gasping at how cool it was in comparison to the sand. The ocean... his dream was finally there. After everything that happened, they'd made it. Falling to his knees, he eyed the strange shapes beneath his hands. Shells... they weren't common and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd seen one, or if he ever had. He couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up. They were here! Grabbing the shells, he leapt up, spinning around as he searched for Levi  
"Levi!"  
In both directions, the beach seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. Steep cliffs to the left, with gentle dunes of sand to the right. No one within the walls had been this far... they had the whole world before them... so why was he alone?  
"Levi?!"

There were no footsteps in the sand, other than his own. The salt in the air was all he could smell, eradicating any traces of Levi's scent. His heart began to race as his anxieties got the better of him  
"Levi! Levi, where are you?!"  
Spinning around on the spot, his breathing grew shallow  
"Levi!"  
Had his lover left him? Did Levi actually hate him? Was he sick of him after all they'd been through? He felt like a lost child, stumbling towards the grass beyond their tent, as tears rolled down his face. He was scared. He was scared and alone...

Crouching down on the grass, he wrapped his arms around his stomach as he cried earnestly. He'd finally pushed Levi so hard that left him here. Unable to ever get back to the walls or find him when he didn't even have a horse. He'd worked so hard to kill every werewolf he could, to make this trip as easy for Levi as he could. Maybe he'd pushed it too far? Maybe he didn't forgive him for not noticing Rilee was sick sooner? Or was he mad he'd fainted?

"Eren?"  
Looking up, Levi looked confused as he lead both their horses towards the beach. The twins safely in the dash across his chest  
"Levi?"  
"What are you doing up here brat  
Pushing himself up, he ran straight at Levi, throwing his arms around his fiancé while trying not to crush their children between them  
"What's going on?"  
"I'm sorry!"  
Levi sighed   
"What did you do?"  
"I thought you left me... I thought you were gone..."  
"You thought we'd come all this way, just for me to leave you here?"  
Eren nodded  
"The horses needed fresh water..."  
"You were gone..."  
"To take care of the horses while you slept"  
"I thought you didn't want me anymore"  
"Shit brat. No. Here, stop crushing me. Let me tie the horses up, then we can talk"  
He was annoying him... he'd messed up. Backing away from Levi, he wiped his messy face  
"Brat..."  
"I'm sorry... I'm so stupid"  
Turning from Levi, Eren trudged back down the beach and to the water's edge. Sitting so his feet were in the water and his arse was barely getting wet. It took Levi a few minutes to come down and join him, squatting down and placing a hand on his shoulder   
"Do you want to talk?"  
"No"  
"Well I do. What was all that? Did you really think I'd left you?"  
"Maybe"  
"I don't know what's going on with you anymore"  
"I was scared, ok. I woke up without you there. You weren't on the beach. You weren't answering when I called your name. I couldn't smell you and I couldn't see you. And you're still mad at me"  
"What am I mad about this time?"  
"Because I fainted"  
"Sina brat. I'm not mad. How could I be mad with all this in front of us?"  
"I really thought you left"  
Moving from slightly behind him, Levi sat beside him   
"You are the biggest pain in my arse I have ever met and you drive me fucking crazy. But why can't you get it through your shitty head that I'm not going anywhere?"  
"Because I'm not worth all of this"  
"That, that shit right there, that's what I hate. That's what makes me mad"  
"I collapsed because I'm not strong enough"  
"You collapsed because you pushed your body too hard. You were exhausted and you wouldn't let me try to help. You had to run off and do everything alone"  
"That's because..."  
"Because what?"  
"Because you were the only one able to look after the twins"  
"You had your gear"  
"That I haven't used properly in months. That didn't sit right and cut up my feet. I couldn't have lived with myself if that was why the twins were hurt. I'm so out of practice that it's not funny. That's why you had to take the twins... and it was a lot less fucking scary being the one attacking the wolves than watching you"  
Levi sighed, readjusting his hold on the twins and offering Eren Rilee. Taking his baby girl, he smiled down at her inquisitive stare  
"I thought you were just trying to die"  
"I'm not having this fight again. I don't want to die. My gear is a mess. I wanted to give the twins and you the best chance. You keep saying you trust me, then something happens and we fight"  
"Eren. When do we get to sit back and live? When does all this fighting end? When do we get to be a real couple? And parents to our children?"  
"What do you think I want?"  
"You wanted to see Zeke"  
"Only if he makes himself known. That's it... that's all I wanted, not to do this alone, but you didn't listen"  
"Zeke is trouble. He hurt both of us"  
"But what if he knows why Rilee is so sick?"  
"You could have lost her and Eli that day"  
"I know. It still scares me. You laying there in your own blood. Not waking up. It... I love you. I love them, I don't want anything to happen to them... or to you. I want to be by your side... that's all I want"  
Starting to cry all over again, he buried his face against Levi's neck. His lover's scent filling his nose and soothing his heart   
"I know I'm an arsehole, but I worry for you"  
"I know you do... I was so fucking scared I'd lost you"  
"You haven't. I'm still by your side"  
"I love you. I love you so much it scares me. I can't imagine a life without you"  
"Then why do you keep trying to send me away?"  
"Why do you keep trying to kill me off?"  
"I don't"  
"You do. I want to talk with you like we're equals, yet you keep thinking I want to rush to my death"  
"You have to admit, you have a knack for getting into trouble"  
"And how many bullet wounds have you gone and got yourself? How many times have you gone and nearly got yourself killed? Or worked so hard that you fell asleep at your desk? You can lecture me all you want, but you're just as bad"  
"You're much worse"  
"Why do we have to fight?"  
"We're not fighting brat"  
"It sure sounds like we are"  
"No. We're just having a discussion on the fact your incident prone"  
"And you attract bullets like no other"  
"Shitty ghoul blood"  
Nuzzling into Levi's neck, he moved Rilee up to his shoulder, hiding her from the warmth of the sun the best he could  
"We should get them out the sun before they get dehydrated. I'm surprised they're not crying for a feed"  
"I gave them bath in the fresh water before, and made sure they rested in the shade"  
"Still, their skin is so sensitive that they'll be overheating and getting burnt"  
"You're really good at this"  
"I don't know"  
"You helped Rilee"  
"I only did what Hanji did"  
"I didn't think you saw"  
"Of course I did. Just because I was bleeding, doesn't mean I wasn't watching... I saw Rilee's bruising around the insertion sites. I couldn't forget it, even if I wanted"  
"She seems better"  
"It's this place. It makes everything feel better"  
"Eli got water on his toes earlier, he screamed with laughter"  
"Do I want to know how you let our son get wet?"  
"I was sitting down here, waiting for you to wake"  
"I bet you tried to drink the water"  
"Maybe"  
"I told you it was salty!"  
"It's just so... blue"  
"Was it as bad as I think it was?"  
"Possibly"  
"Well you won't be doing that again, will you?"  
"Did you just "mum tone" me?"  
"What else am I supposed to when you do something stupid?"  
Levi sighed, nudging him off with his shoulder  
"Whatever. Let's get the twins back inside the tent. They've been on enough of an adventure today"  
"That's because they're brave scouts, like their daddy"  
"I took the horses to water"  
"Like you didn't scout while you were at it"  
"Only a little. I didn't want to go too far in case you woke... you know, there was something I wanted to say the other day"  
"Oh no. We're not going to start fighting again, are we?"  
"No... it was when you came back so happy from the river"  
"What about it?"  
"You took a bath. You willingly plunged into the water. Even now, you're sitting with your feet in the water..."  
Oh... he hadn't thought about that... it just seemed natural at the time   
"Maybe because I have my wolf back?"  
"I'm sorry. I know how much that side means to you, but I still don't think I fully understand it"  
"It's fine. At least you accept it for what it is"  
"I still prefer the human you"  
"I don't think I'll be shifting for a while"  
"Because you over did it"  
"I just wanted to keep you safe"  
"We could have talked about it. Fixed your gear"  
"I still don't think I could have could have pulled it off"  
"It's done now. Let's head in"  
"Can you take Rilee? I need to use bathroom"  
"If you're going to take a shit, do it away from the water or it'll come bobbing back at you"  
"That's your concern?!"  
"Don't go shitting around the place"  
"Go away"  
"Give me my girl first"  
Waiting until Levi stood, Eren handed over Rilee. The little girl grizzling over being moved from his chest  
"What's the matter? Don't you want daddy"  
"She wants daddy, but mummy has the milk"  
"You'd better hurry up then"  
Eren's cheeks reddened, but he blamed it on the sun instead of embarrassment   
"Then go away. I know how to go the bathroom on my own"  
"Are you blushing?!"  
"Shut up!"  
"You do know I've seen everything before"  
"Shut up! Unless you want me to start picking on you!"  
"I'm just teasing. We'll be up in tent, when you're ready"  
"Yeah. Whatever. Give me five minutes"

 

*  
With Rilee and Eli laying in the tent, a smile played on Levi's lips. When he'd seen Eren so distressed, he'd been sure something had happened. He hadn't thought the teen would be in tears from missing him. It fed and inflated his ego in ways it probably shouldn't have. His brat a shit for thinking he could ever leave him. At least they'd talked... even if it took Eren freaking out for it to happen.

Joining them in the tent, Eren gave him a glare before busying himself with stripping off his shirt and gathering Eli up   
"You're staring"  
"I can't help it"  
"You could, if you tried"  
"You just look so natural feeding them"  
"My chest aches from too much milk. How long did you leave me sleeping?"  
"Five or six hours. I didn't want to leave you, but I need to figure out the lay of the land and find fresh water"  
"What did you find? Anything useful?"  
"There's some buildings east of here. It looks like there used to be some kind of town there"  
"A town?"  
"Yeah. I thought we could scout it properly later"  
"Mmm. It's probably a good idea. Did it look like people still lived there?"  
"No. Most of it looks as old as the walls and castle"  
"So maybe before they moved into the walls?"  
"Possibly"  
"I wonder what happened"  
Sorting through their lacking supplies Levi sighed  
"We need to hunt. We've barely got anything to eat"  
"I can hunt. I don't mind. Or we can try fishing"  
"Fishing?"  
"You never tried fishing in the rivers?"  
"I can't say I have"  
"Beach fishing will probably be a bit different, but sometimes we caught things in the river. Armin's grandfather had this book that talked about the outside world. Did you know, most of the rivers flow out to ocean, rather than flowing in?"  
"Since when do you get around knowing things?"  
Eren rolled his eyes, before looking down to where Eli was hungry sucking down his milk  
"It doesn't happen often"  
"We also need to find somewhere more permanent to stay"  
"Yeah. Maybe that village will be ok? If we can find somewhere where light won't be seen, we should be ok"  
"Or we can try heading west?"  
"Maybe... what do we have that's edible?"  
"A few nuts and some berries that have seen better days. There's some meat too. Everything else we have to cook"  
"We probably shouldn't light a fire just yet. Not until we know no ones around"  
"That's what I was thinking"  
"You're always thinking"  
"Someone has to"  
"Rude much"  
"Probably. How are you feeling? I didn't really ask before"  
"Tired. Sore. Gross. Hungry. And my head hurts"  
"You were feverish"  
"I didn't notice... I'm not surprised. Looking at the ocean... I just felt so relieved. Like all the tensions holding me up snapped... Everything hit me all at once. How beautiful it was and that we actually made it in time... I think after this, I want to take a nap"  
"You don't want to go swimming?"  
"Not without you, and you're getting burnt. I want to see and experience everything with you"  
With just a few words, he was stupidly happy again  
"Will you let me hold you?"  
Eren raised an eyebrow   
"You always sleep on the other side of the tent"  
"Oh... I didn't want to disturb you, and you know, I didn't want anything or anyone getting to the twins. Did you miss me?"  
Yes. Fuck yes. He missed him... he didn't want to sound too eager   
"Maybe"  
"My poor alpha... if you promise to keep your hands to yourself"  
"As if I'd do anything in front of the twins"  
"I know... and yeah... it'd be nice"  
Levi grumbled  
"You could have just said yes"  
"I could have, but you get this small wrinkle between your brow when you get cranky, but not really cranky"  
"Do I now?"  
"Yep. It's not as bad as Erwin's though. Seriously, something I wonder if he frowned too much, would his eyebrows like touch and if they did, would they like turn into a monobrow?"  
"Great. Now I'm going to be wondering about that"  
"You're welcome... Eli's nearly done feeding"  
"I swear Rilee knows what that means"  
The tiny girl was waving her arm like she trying to get their attention  
"She probably does. She's smart, like her daddy"  
"Her mother has his moments"  
"I don't know. Fainting from relief doesn't seem pretty smart"  
"It's a Sina of lot better than fainting because you're sick"  
"It's still pretty lame. This place is so beautiful. It's sad to imagine a world where people never get to see it"  
"It is. Here, let me take Eli"  
Eren hummed, their son's eyes starting to droop closed as he passed him over to be burped, before taking Rilee into his hold  
"I wonder what she thinks of all of this?"  
"She's probably only thinking of feeding"  
"I don't blame her. Seriously. 6 hours..."  
"You were exhausted from shifting"  
"Yeah, but anything could have happened"  
"You scared the fuck out of me"  
"I'm good at that"  
"Too good"  
Eren gave him a half smile, before letting the conversation drop.

Laying together on his bed roll, his fiancé had his back to the twins with his head resting on Levi's chest. Both of them were off in their own day dreams, while enjoying the simple warmth and comfort of each other. There wasn't really any need to talk, Eren would occasionally press a kiss to Levi's chest, while he'd kiss the top of his brats hair each time he did. Without meaning to, they both drifted to sleep, the soft sound of the waves rushing up the beach lulling them in a way neither of them had expected.

Sleeping through until the twins started to cry, Eren changed them while Levi scouted around their camp. Their horses were still there, and there wasn't any sign of visitors having past the area, werewolf or otherwise. Instead of heading back inside the tent, he sat on the grass, watching the waves. It was hypnotic. Making it impossible to hate the place, despite how the sand clung to everything. If this was any other life, he could see Eren growing up somewhere like this. Swimming and fishing. Spending hours sprawled out beneath the sun with no concern for his skin. Hearing the rustle, it was only a few seconds before his lover joined him  
"You didn't come back in"  
"I was just watching the ocean"  
"It's amazing"  
"It is"  
"Thank you for bringing us here"  
Wrapping the blanket he was holding around their shoulders, Eren took his hand   
"You're welcome. Have you thought about what you want for dinner?"  
"You?"  
Levi snorted, not realising Eren was attempting to be sexy. Huffing, the teen tensed, leading him to ask  
"Me?"  
"It doesn't matter"  
"It matters to me"  
"It's stupid"  
"I'm sick of that shitty word"  
"I want you..."  
A lump formed in his throat as his dick twitched with interest   
"You collapsed"  
"Can't you ever just go with the moment?"  
"You want me..."  
"Not if you're going to be like this"  
"Maybe you should just show me you want me, rather than saying it"  
Eren took a few moments, before pushing him down and climbing into his lap. His lips smashing into Levi's as ground his hips suggestively. Fumbling at his pants, his fiancé whined as Levi moved to grope at his arse. Well this was happening. Breaking the kiss, Eren started his assault on Levi's neck, kissing and licking his way down to shirt line and back up  
"Too many clothes"  
Sitting up enough, he was stripped of his shirt, the teen not letting him do the same to him as he instead began to make his way down Levi's chest, working both his nipples into firm buds with confident strikes from his tongue  
"Slow down..."  
"Need you"  
There was no mistaking that one. Growling, Levi pushed Eren back, roughly freeing him of his shirts as his hands undid the laces of Eren's pants. There was the usual sweetness of Eren's scent, telling him the brat wasn't in heat, despite how he was acting. His ego was once against sent soaring. His brat wanted him, without external factors like heat or feeding. He wanted him purely for the pleasure of his body. Gasping as his dick was freed, Eren shot forward, biting down on Levi's shoulder as he palmed his lover's erection  
"Eren..."  
Squeezing to tease, Eren released his shoulder with a strangled moan  
"Please Levi..."  
"Come here"

Guiding Eren to lay on the blanket he'd brought with him, Levi stripped them both down, before eyeing the sight of his omega beneath him. In the cool night air, Eren's body was covered in goosebumps, his nipples hard peaks as his small breasts wobbled with each breath he sucked in. As his eyes roamed down, he smiled at the hand flung between his teens legs, as if trying to find some kind of modest while the thick smell of slick filled the space between them. How could Eren not see how perfect he was? Beneath his remaining pregnancy pudge, were the hints of his once muscled chest. His hips were wider now, his figure fuller from birth. His thighs softened from a lack of training, despite having grown to be so tall. Nudging Eren's hand away, he smirked as he ignored the teen's neglected dick in favour of settling himself down further. It'd been so long since he'd taken the time to revel in the pleasure of Eren's slick. Grasping his teen's thighs, he pushed Eren's legs up, exposing the prize he was after. Not letting him think, he applied his mouth straight to Eren's weeping opening, the half screamed moan he gave worth it as he set about eating and tonguing the tight ring. Fuck... he'd missed this, and he could tell Eren had cleaned himself up, the taste of seawater adding a salty depth to the sweet slick. Shifting Eren's left leg onto his shoulders, Levi started to finger the teen, Eren immediately pushing down hard against his fingers as lewd moans fell from his lips. With his fingertips against Eren's sweet spot, he brought his brat to orgasm. Lowering Eren's shaking legs, Levi went about licking his spent cum from his stomach, his brat whining as his hands buried themselves in Levi's hair  
"Levi... alpha..."  
"Not yet"  
Thoroughly cleaning Eren down, he took the teen's spent erection in his mouth, sucking and bobbing his head as he started to grow hard again  
"Levi... please"  
Pulling off, he replaced his mouth with his hand   
"Not yet"  
Nosing at Eren's right thigh scent gland, he kissed around it, before mouthing at the soft spot, coppery oil coating his tongue and making him groan. He wanted to wreck Eren, to fuck him until he was swollen with his seed, and it was taking all he had not to wolf down the delicious meal in front of him.

When Eren started to buck his hips, Levi slipped his lips back down the weeping red head of the teen's dick. The teen only taking several short moments before coming down the back of his throat with a long whimper. Drawing out every drop, he finally pulled back completely as Eren rolled to his side, gasping and panting for breath as he brought his knee up, exposing his twitching opening   
"Alpha... fuck me..."  
Taking his by the hips, Eren rolled over and presented his arse, whining as he moved to rut up against him  
"You're so beautiful"  
Breaching him with just the tip, Eren was eager for more, pushing back with a groan until Levi was fully sheathed inside  
"You're suck a slut for my dick"  
Nodding, Eren started to rock, openly fucking himself   
"Harder"  
"Remember you asked for you"

Drilling his fiancé thoroughly, he hoisted the teen up and into his lap when Eren's strength faded. Limp in his hold, Eren's head lulled against his shoulder as his abused his sweet spot, come streaming from Eren's penis as if he hadn't come twice already. Feeling his dick beginning to swell, he growled as he bit down on Eren's shoulder, the teen coming immediately with a whimper as Levi tried to pull free  
"No... need it... need your come"  
Levi's rhythm stuttered, he didn't want to come inside Eren. Not when the teen feared falling pregnant. Unable to stop himself, and unable to pull free, his orgasm hit. Eren slumping against him completely, clenching hard as Levi came hard enough to make him momentarily see white. Guiding Eren down, the teen limply took his hand and placed it to his stomach, purring loudly as he tried to regain his breath. Both of them were completely wrecked in the best possible way. 

Licking his lips, Levi slowly brought his breathing back under control. The small about of Eren's blood he'd taken quenching his thirst  
"Are you ok?"  
"Mmm... shhh"  
"I'm sorry for coming in you"  
"It's fine"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Mmm... fuck. I feel so good"  
Twisting in his hold, Eren gave him a dopey smile   
"Do you feel good?"  
"I just wrecked your arse, I feel great"  
"Good... I haven't had enough"  
"You want more?"  
"I want you, forever Levi"  
"Shitty brat, you already have me"  
"Then give me more. Break me completely"  
"Don't blame me when you can't walk in the morning"  
"I'll hold you to it"

 

*  
Life near the beach wasn't as hard as Eren thought it might be. They'd wandered up to the whitewash buildings Levi had seen while scouting, finding a small well with fresh water on the outskirts of the town, and a nice enough house not too far from it. It was warm and it was safe. Any personal items that had been there had long corroded thanks to the passage of time, but they were making it work.

Sitting on the low stone wall, Eren was watching the waves crashing against the them, a few feet belong his feet. Levi was at home with Rilee and Eli, while the teen had gone exploring for more wood... before getting distracted. They'd only been at the beach for the last 4 days, but he felt clearer. Being intimate with Levi again actually felt right. His mind felt less troubled, less weighed down by what they'd left behind. Laying back, he watched the birds swirling and diving. He could see why they'd leave the walls... with all this waiting for them.

"I was wondering where you'd gotten to"  
Blocking his sun, Levi stared down at him. Eren's cheeks warming at the sight of his lover's black hair falling across his face. Fuck, he was lucky. His fiancé was gorgeous. Raising his hand towards Levi, he sighed sleepily  
"The sun feels nice, come nap with me"  
"And who's going to watch the twins?"  
"They can nap too"  
"Eli won't settle, I was hoping you were on your way back"  
"Oh... where is he?"  
"Back at the house with Rilee. You know how she feels about her brother crying"  
"Mmm... help me up?"  
Levi took his hand, Eren pulling him down so he was forced to squat  
"Brat"  
"Give me a kiss?"  
Faking a grumble, Levi meant in, kissing him softly  
"Come on you, we need to go"  
"Carry me?"  
"You're getting lazy"  
"What do you mean getting?"  
Levi snorted, releasing his hand so he could stand. He'd barely gotten to his feet when Levi was pulling him close, his grip on his arse as he pulled gently, encouraging him to wrap his legs around his waist  
"Best fiancé ever"  
"I try"  
"I know. And I love you for it"

 

All this happiness couldn't have possibly lasted. Padding along the deserted streets, if his muzzle hadn't been covered in blood from the three rabbits in his mouth, he would have smelt the trouble coming. Rounding the corner his "home" came into the view. The soft glow of the fire from the living room hearth, backlighting the black human shapes in the doorway. Darting back the way he'd come, he dropped his kill. His claws scrapping obnoxiously loudly as he scrambled to hide his form. He couldn't let them find Levi. He could let them find the twins... he'd told Levi he wanted a plan, but now he was faced with this... he knew what he had to do. He had to fight for them. Growling, he ensured his rabbits were safe, promising them he'd return. Peaking his head around the corner, he shifted into his human form. It wasn't like a wolf could light a fireplace  
"What do you think you're doing?!"  
Whipping around, the shadows abandoned the door  
"That's my home!"  
Running barefoot towards the three men, he hoped Levi was smart enough to stay hidden until he'd made some kind of opening  
"Identify yourself!"  
"I'm lost..."  
"Who are you?! Are you from the institute?!"  
Where the fuck was Levi?!

Coming face to face with the strangers, Eren didn't know what to say. Standing there blankly, his eyes rested on the weapons on their hips. He couldn't pick a fight with men brandishing guns. Not without knowing that Rilee and Eli were safe from flying rounds. Pulling the pistol from his hip, the foreman of the group shoved it at his chest  
"I said, identify yourself!"  
"Zeke! My names Zeke!"  
It was a good as any name, though it didn't do him any good. With a sneering laugh, the man to the right brought out his own pistol, bringing it down against Eren's temple. The teen unconscious before he'd even hit the ground.


	58. Chapter 58

Waking to a dark and wet room, Eren groaned as consciousness slowly returned. Trying to move, he began panicking as the realisation he was chained down set in. Struggling harder, the cold metal bit into his wrists and ankles, no matter how hard he strained he couldn't free himself   
"I never thought you'd be the one to seek me out, Eren. What brings you so far from the safety of your walls?"  
The metal door to his cell scraped and creaked, he was temporarily blinded as the gas lamp was set down beside his bed as Zeke sat by his hip, his so called brother than placing his hand on his shoulder   
"You don't need to be so scared of me"  
"Then let me out these chains!"  
"I can't do that"  
"Let me out of these chains!"  
Tears were in his eyes, his body trying to shrink from the metal and from Zeke's presence   
"I persuaded them that we need to talk. I can't let you out of these chains until I know why you're here"  
"Why do you care? You left us for dead!"  
"I didn't leave you for dead"  
"Levi was bleeding out! I was pregnant!"  
"Not so loud. Do you really want them knowing about Levi?"  
"What do you care? You said it was all a sin!"  
"You have to understand..."  
"What? What do I have to understand?"  
"It was for your own good"  
"Right. Leaving us there was for our good. Taking my journal and papers were for my own good! Levi nearly died and I nearly lost my children"  
"Why are you here Eren? Why come this far from the safety of the walls?"  
"I don't know. Why would you come to find me? You said you wanted to save me, but from what?"  
"None of that matters now"  
"It does to me. If you're not going to answer me, then let me go"  
"The people I work for aren't just going to let you go. They're already suspicious of your physique"  
The man was infuriating. All he wanted was a straight answer... but Zeke wouldn't give him anything   
"You mean because I have breasts and a penis? Or did they already figure out I give birth through my arsehole"  
"You don't need to be crass"  
"You're the one sitting there with all the fucking answers! Your stupid men took me from my fiancé and my children"  
"Children?"  
"That's right. You're a fucking uncle. Congratulations"  
Spitting the words at Zeke, he slumped back against his chains  
"The children... they survived"  
"A boy and a girl. Not that you care"  
"Eren..."  
"She's sick. That's why we came out here, so she didn't have to die inside the walls..."  
He wanted his babies. He wanted them so much... and he wanted his words to stop   
"... That's why I need to get back to her"  
"Normally the child doesn't survive the birth. The mixing of the bloodlines creates sick children, and results in the death of the mother"  
"I'm fucking fine. Now let me go"  
"Why? When I let you go, where will you go? Back to the walls? To the people who tortured you?"  
"That's none of your business"  
"You could stay here"  
"No thanks. I'd rather face a hundred werewolves than be your prisoner"  
"Stop being stubborn"  
"I'm good. Levi tells me that all the time, but it's never happened for him. What makes you think it's going to happen for you?"  
"I'm your blood brother"  
"No. You're the son of Grisha. You're not my brother, you're just someone else who was abandoned by him. Which you should know all about from stealing my journal"  
"We couldn't come back empty handed"  
"Sina. Levi was right about you. You really are an arsehole. Go away"  
"Eren, I suggest you have a good long thing about what is being offered here, and think about your current situation. If you cooperate, I'll do what I can for Levi"  
Leaving him still chained, Zeke took the lantern with him. Alone in the dark, surrounded by the stench of wet rot Eren cried himself to sleep.

 

Eren hated the complex they'd locked him away in. Zeke would come to talk at him so often things just blurred into one. Being trapped beneath the grounds and in chains, his mind ran circles. He'd lost all perception of time. His breasts ached from not being able to feed his children, while body wouldn't stop shaking with fear. When people came with Zeke, they always stood back, watching him with a bored disinterest. It didn't matter what he said or did, they didn't touch him or move to help. They didn't have to. The strangers brought with them the scent that brought the memories of Levi being shot to the front of his mind. He had no doubt that they'd been there when Levi had been shot. The unwelcome visits would have been tolerable, if they were only issue with his only accomodation... At first he'd thought he hallucination. The first time he'd seen them, the first time he heard them, he thought his fragile mind had broken, before remembering such things actually existed. Ghosts. Isabel and Sai had been so sweet. Isabel had just wanted one last chance to eat and tell Levi it was all ok, while Sai had wanted to be with his mother again. But these ghosts. They screamed and wailed, as if they didn't even know they were dead. They pleaded for their lives. They pleaded to go home. For the pain to stop. He must sound insane as he begged them to stop. He couldn't even cover his ears with his hands to drown them out. The constant noise made him whimper in pain. His head throbbing from the lack of sleep their screaming brought. He'd escaped one hell, and now he was being broken all over again... 

Eren didn't know how long he was left to go insane before Zeke came for him. This time he was accompanied by a tall woman with a fierce hair cut, and a fiercer look on her face. Unlike Zeke's usual companions, she actually dared to come close to him. He dimly remembered Zeke calling her "Yelena" and warning her not to get close. Yelena had been the one to undo his chains, before his wrists were shackled and Zeke pulled him from his bed. Taking him by the elbow, the man supported him as they moved from the cell. Marched through the complex, he'd had half expected to be taken to be executed, instead, he was lead to the strangest cage he'd ever seen. Backing the facility, thick wire formed the walls, doors set at the end of it all, with walkways running either side of the enclosure. Closing his eyes, he relished the silence, and the cold night wind  
"Yelena, you may leave us"  
"As you wish, Commander Zeke"  
Commander? That would place Zeke at the same rank as Erwin... nothing about Zeke's manner hoods was remotely Commander material. Zeke was a coward and arsehole... on second thought...  
"Eren, I thought we could talk?"  
"Why?"  
"Because you're my brother. No matter what you say"  
"You say that like it means anything"  
His voice was gravelly and his throat tender from his screams and cries  
"Here, it does. It's not like I want to keep you caged down there"  
"Of course you don't... if you're going to kill, me be done with it"  
"I'm not going to kill you. I want to save you"  
"From what? What makes me worth saving?"  
"Because you're special"  
Eren snorted, stumbling out of Zeke's hold as he opened his eyes  
"Special? How am I special?"  
"For what you are"  
"A freak? A monster? A shifter?"  
"You're not a freak or a monster, not to our clan"  
"Really? Can everyone around here shift? Or is just me and you? And those two men you bring with you?"  
"Reiner and Bertholdt. And no. Our blood makes us special"  
"We have the same blood as everyone inside the walls, so why do they all have to die?"  
"Because they abandoned their wolf. They turned their back on the rules of the world to build their den of sin"  
"Do you know how crazy you sound right now? A den of sin? Werewolves, Lycan's, vampires, ghouls and ghosts. Some den of sin that is"  
"Eren. There are things you don't understand"  
"No. There are thing you don't understand. My fiancé is half-vampire. His adoptive sister was a fucking ghost. My adopted sister is half-vampire. My children are half-vampire and half-werewolf halves, so they're more human than both. You just want information from me, and I don't know anything. You're the one with all the answers! You're the one who broke through the rubble we worked so hard to block Shinganshima up with. You attacked Trost and Hermina. You attacked the Government! How many people had to die because of you?"  
Zeke snapped back  
"Don't pretend you're innocent"  
"I never said I was. But why do we have to die like cattle? What did we ever do to any of you? Nothing. We didn't even know about you..."  
"So we've been told"  
"What does that mean? Did you find innocent people to torture?"  
"Eren... I know you don't believe me, but you're part of something so much larger than you could ever believe"  
"Well hurray for me. Do you even feel bad for all the people you killed?"  
"Some of them deserved it"  
"How?! Did they hurt you?!"  
"No. They hurt you. I read what they did to you. What you're Government did to you. How could I do nothing?!"  
Eren's stomach rolled, he barely had time to clamp his hand to his mouth before vomiting into his mouth   
"Eren. How can you support the Government after what they did to you? In our people, you, you're special and so very rare..."  
Swallowing hard, Eren shook his head  
"No. I'm just me"  
"Men don't fall pregnant"  
"It helps when your father experiments on you. He already admitted he did this to me intentionally"  
"You were this when you were born"  
"That's not true..."  
"Eren..."  
"It's not fucking true! Ok! He wrote it in his journal! He injected me with werewolf DNA! He made me into this!"  
"We're born with our wolf..."  
"I don't care. Just let me go"  
"I can't do that"  
"Then let me die"  
"I can't allow that to happen either"  
He tugged at his chains. He was sure he could shift into his Lycan form. It might mean losing his hands, but they'd regrow. Looking towards the doors, he wondered just how many steps it would take to cross the distance  
"Don't shift"  
"Why not? What's to stop me from shifting right now? I could destroy this whole complex in seconds"  
"They'd shoot you full of ghouls blood before you even finished the shift"  
"I'd rather take my chances than go back inside there"  
"Did you know, ghouls are the most common supernatural species outside this island"  
"How the fuck am I supposed to know something like that?"  
"This place is where the original research was done on them"  
Eren sighed. Zeke was going off on some tangent that made no sense to him at all  
"Those werewolves. They were all humans. All brought here to be experimented on. Vampires and Ghouls both share genetic markers with Werewolves"  
"Werewolves or us?"  
"Shifters like us are known as werewolves"  
"Because that doesn't make shit confusing"  
Swallowing again, he wished Zeke would just get to his point. His throat was way too tender for all this defensive bullshit his stubbornness was spitting   
"We were the original race. Everything stemmed from us"  
Oh fuck this  
"Yelena! I want to go back to my cell"  
"Eren"  
"Nope. I'm done. You make zero sense and you're fucking crazy..."  
His voice finally broke in a squeak, the rest of his insults forced to stay in his mind. Yelena mustn't've ventured far as she reappeared in the caged space moments after he called her name. Zeke wasn't happy   
"I didn't call for you"  
"He did"  
"He's..."  
"You're position as his brother already has you under suspicion for colluding with the enemy. It's best he's returned to his cell before any further incidents can occur"  
Nodding to Yelena, the woman glared until Zeke took hold of the chains of his shackles, pulling him towards the doors back inside. This time, he poured every ounce of concentration he could muster into remembering the route. It wasn't all that much. His brain feeling like the inside of his boots after training in the rain, but if he could just get to cage, he could shift and get free.

Sometime between his conversation with Zeke and his new situation, Eren had passed out. One moment he'd been in the cell, the next he was waking in his new room. He'd been cleaned and changed into some kind of white uniform. His chains gone, but he didn't exactly need them anymore. He couldn't get the voices out his head.

Hiding under his blanket, Eren had his hands covering his ears as he tried to pretend he was anywhere but trapped in some institution in the hands of his mentally unstable brother, listening to screaming ghosts. Zeke had already been by earlier, accompanying Reiner and Bertholdt as they rearranged his room for him. Instead of there being just one bed, there were now two. He was getting a room mate and the idea didn't thrill him at all. He knew he was growing more and more unstable. He had to fight to keep his wolf under control and locking an innocent person in with him, would more than likely lead to their death.

Hearing the door sliding open again, he rocked harder. Broken fragments of sentences came from his lips as he begged the voices to leave him alone  
"Eren?!"  
Great. He'd gone so fucking crazy he was hallucinating Levi's voice. Feeling the bed dip, the blanket was pulled from free  
"Eren?!"  
"No... no. You're not real"  
"Eren, I'm here. We're here. Look at me"  
Shaking his head, Eren didn't want Levi to be here. If he was here, the twins were here... they were in danger...  
"Brat?"  
"Why? Why are you here?"  
"This was the only way I could get in... I surrendered to Zeke"  
"You idiot"  
"Rilee and Eli need you. They wouldn't take the milk powder... she's been getting worse without you"  
"You shouldn't be here"  
Placing his hands back over his ears, he curled into himself. There was no way Levi could be so stupid. 

 

*  
Reaching out to cup Eren's face, his brat whimpered at the gentle contact. This wasn't the best plan he'd ever had, but after scouting the facility, he'd found there wasn't actually any way in, other than through gates that delivered some kind of nasty shock when you touched them, and the front door. So, he'd walked to the front door, demanding to see Zeke... It'd taken roughly 30 seconds in the man's presence to see that something was definitely wrong with him. Whatever planet the man was living on, it wasn't the same as the rest if them. Surrendering to Zeke had been the only way to get to Eren. It'd come with a broken arm, curtesy to Zeke's disgusting bodyguards. No one needed to be that big or stupid looking, and it wasn't exactly smart taking a swing when they approached the twins... he didn't regret it. Now he was Eren, they could form a plan together... at least that had been the plan until he set eyes on his fiancé. The teen was in pain. He looked as if he hadn't slept since being taken, 4 days ago, and the fact he was covering his ears didn't sit well with him at all  
"Eren, its ok. Help is coming... here, you're safe now. I'm with you"  
Safe wasn't the word he'd first use to describe their current circumstances, but Eren needed to calm down. Laying Rilee down on the bed, the teen tried to scramble backwards from her, despite the fact his back was already against the wall   
"She needs feeding, so does Eli. He missed you. He wouldn't settle at all without you"  
Both children had started screaming the night Eren had left, only falling asleep once they'd exhausted themselves completely  
"No... no... no..."  
Mumbling the word over and over, Eren grappled fistfuls of his hair, scrunching his eyes tightly closed  
"Eren, you need to feed them"  
Denying him and their twins, Eren worked himself into a panic. Lifting Rilee back to him, his broken right arm protested. He really must be getting old if a simple fall lead to such a break  
"You're ok now. They're not going to touch you"

It wasn't until Eren passed out that Levi could move him. Propping him up, he moved to sit behind him, taking charge of the need for their twins to feed. The room offered no privacy, Eren's breasts completely exposed as nursed both twins. By his maths, Mikasa and Armin should have reached the castle the day they'd parted, if not the day after. With travel time included, they should already be on their way to the coast, provided Erwin hadn't pulled some kind of political bullshit. If they could just hold out for a week or so, help would come. He'd left signs for them, letting them know there was danger and that they were both in the strange building. He'd never seen anything like it. The lights weren't gas. The glass didn't shatter on impact. Machines he couldn't have even dreamed about hummed, and the weaponry sent a chill down his spine. The night Eren had been taken, he'd watched it all unfold, knowing his blades wouldn't be able to touch them before they'd get a shot off. He'd prayed Eren would stay away, yet his stupid brat had got their attention, leading the danger from the house and leaving Levi to trail behind. He'd then scouted the building, finding no way in, so it had taken surrendering both his and Eren manoeuvre gear, as well as their horses for Zeke to finally accept his surrender and for him to bring him down to Eren. 

When the twins were fed, he moved them to the end of their bed, before taking his place behind Eren again. Even in his sleep, Eren's lips were moving, as if pleading. Whatever he'd been through, had royally fucked with his head. This bullshit was why he'd wanted to avoid Zeke completely.

Eren woke with a screaming nightmare, jolting Levi's busted arm that was protectively wrapped around his fiancé's waist, while his left hand rested on Eren's head. Trying to curl away, his hands went straight to his ears  
"Brat, hey... shhh... shhhhh"  
"Levi?"  
"I'm here"  
"Make it stop"  
Make what stop? There was nothing making noise... other than Eren and the hum of the machinery  
"Eren, make what stop?"  
"The voices"  
Levi's heart fell. There were no voices...  
"Eren, no one's here"  
"They are... please... make it stop"  
"Come back here"  
Taking his hands, Eren didn't seem to notice Levi's arm as he placed them over his ears, before covering them with his own. This was going to be a problem. He needed Eren grounded and focused so they could talk about an escape plan... not scrunching his eyes up and covering his ears  
"I can't get them to leave me alone... I'm so tired, Levi"  
Who wouldn't leave him alone? Had they don't something to him? To his head or his ears? Or it was the fact that Eren had willingly handed himself over to be captured? Pulling his busted right arm down, Eren turned in his hold, trying to hide against him  
"Brat. You need to talk to me. What's happening here?"  
"So many people died here... they won't leave me alone, Levi. They keep screaming"  
"I don't understand"  
"I'm so tired..."  
"Eren, I need you to try and pay attention"  
"Why? They're never going to let us go. Not now they have you too... you shouldn't have come for me"  
"I couldn't leave you here alone"  
"You were gone for so long"  
"Eren, it's only been four days"  
"No... its been longer... feels so long"  
Just because it'd felt longer, doesn't mean it actually had been that long  
"I think I know just how long it's been..."  
Did they drug him? Is that why he couldn't understand what was going on? Out of the options, that had to be the best. Better than them having fucked around in Eren's head  
"I don't like it here"  
"It's not great"  
"They have chains... don't let them chain you..."  
Chains. Yep. Zeke had to know what was done to Eren, and his fear of being chained up again. If Eren wasn't fiancé, or a decent human, he'd applaud the man for going straight to the one thing most likely to break the teen   
"No more chains"  
"I'm so tired"  
Kissing Eren's forehead, he readjusted his hold to make the position comfier for the brat  
"Get some more sleep. I'll keep you safe"

It wasn't long after Eren had fallen asleep that Zeke graced them with his presence. Leaving the tall woman who accompanied him outside their cell, Zeke smiled broadly as he walked in, choosing to take a seat on the second bed  
"You got him talking"  
"What the fuck did you do to him? Chains? Are you fucking serious?"  
"I assure you that wasn't my idea"  
"He's suffering"  
"He seems mentally unstable. He's been seen talking to himself. I don't suppose you'd like to fill me in?"  
"Not particularly"  
"You do know you're a waste of space, purely accepted for Eren's sake. Or rather, to manipulate Eren into seeing sense. He has some ridiculous notion that you're in love, but if you were to tell him otherwise, he'd be able to see the truth"  
The crazy gene seemed to run strong in the Yeager family  
"And what truth is that?"  
"That a vampire and a werewolf can never be together, not with what's coming"  
"I'm not leaving Eren's side"  
"What a shame. I thought with your age, you would be able to see this could never work. I'll send someone up to look at your arm. You'll need to forgive Reiner and Bertholdt, they both bare the weight of the blood of the wolf, in their own way. Eren's scent is causing more issues than we'd anticipated"  
Levi sighed, he had no idea how to talk to someone like Zeke. His thoughts and sentences jumped too far from each other to make coherent sense... maybe being a spineless coward was came from mental weakness. He certainly wasn't how he'd imagined him to be. The man didn't even resemble Eren in the slightest  
"I shall take my leave now. Be sure to think things through thoroughly"  
Nope. He really had no idea what went through this man's mind. For now they should forget the man, and work on stabilising Eren's mind.

 

*  
Levi didn't know what to make of Yelena. The woman seemed to be both a blessing and a curse. She'd been the one to spilt his badly sprained wrist, though from the heat, swelling and bruising he'd been sure he'd broken it. She'd carried out her job with an air of indifference, that he'd been grateful for. She'd also brought extra blankets and things for the twins when she'd came. And then Eren had freaked out...

With his arm stabilised, Levi had moved the second bed to the side of the first. Moving Eren over to it, before arranging their children so they were sleeping in the top corner. With the constant warmth of the space, Rilee's condition has improved, her breathing no longer rasps, while Eli just seemed to be happy he'd been fed. Changed and swaddled, he felt the corner was the safest place for them, leaving him and Eren to share the second bed. Unable to sleep, he'd arranged Eren so he was sleeping with his head on his chest, one hand loosely cupped over the teen's left ear to protect him from the invisible things plaguing him. When the teen woke, he wanted to ask permission to drain his scent glands in case he had been drugged.

It started as Eren begging to growl in his sleep, before starting to toss fitfully against him. Shaking his shoulder, Eren had shifted and leapt from the bed. By the time Levi had scrambled from it, the teen was snarling as he launched himself at the door with sickening crunch. Eren didn't even seem to notice, throwing himself at the door again and again, even though Levi was calling his name. Alerted by the commotion, two officers he hadn't seen before had come running, Eren snarling at them as his jaws snapped, trying to get to them. One drawing his weapon as the other ran. Continuing his attempts to escape, his brat hit the door with enough force to leave blood smeared across it. Rushing to him, Levi threw his arms around Eren's thick neck, trying to pull him back before he hurt himself further. It didn't do any good, Eren shook him free as if he was nothing, throwing himself against the door hard enough that the crack that echoed could only be the sound of something breaking  
"Eren, stop!"  
In their corner, the twins started to cry. For a moment, Levi paused. Watching as Eren turned to look in their direction, growling at the noisey interruption. He hated that at that moment, he was certain Eren was about to attack the twins. His whole body froze, his heart racing. Slowly Eren looked back to the door, launching himself at again. The sound of more cracking turned Levi's stomach.

"Eren!"  
Yelena had been summoned, beside her was Zeke. The man looked genuinely shocked at the sight. Shifting, the older man launched himself at Eren, tackling him down to the ground while Yelena pulled a syringe from her pocket. When Zeke finally pinned Eren down, she didn't think twice as she injected the contents into Eren. His fiancé throwing his head back and howling a howl filled with misery, before his body finally shifted back to human. Zeke not getting off of him, until Eren laid limp under his paws. Shifting back, the man wiped the blood from his face  
"He'll need to be chained"  
"No. He doesn't need fucking chains"  
Levi surprised himself. Pulling himself up, he stumbled over to Eren, shoving Zeke out the way so he could kneel down beside his brat  
"He is obviously a danger"  
"He's not a fucking danger"  
"Then what do you call that?"  
"That. That comes from whatever you've done to him"  
Even unconscious Eren looked pained   
"He's not mentally stable. He yells and screams about things that aren't there"  
Like Zeke was one to talk. Gritting his teeth as his arm protested, Levi lifted Eren from the floor, carrying him over to the bed they were sharing  
"What did you give him?"  
"It'll suppress his wolf side"  
"You can't just fucking drug him"  
Laying Eren down, Levi eyed the blood across his fiancé with a sigh. None of his wounds were steaming, thanks to Yelena's injection  
"Are you going to tell us what that was?"  
"There's nothing to tell"  
"He shifted"  
"In his sleep. There's something in this place tormenting him"  
Zeke laughed openly  
"There's nothing here. Aside from a half-dead half-vampire, werewolves and a few humans"  
"What are your powers?"  
"What?"  
"Eren, he has a certain gift for seeing things. Do you all have it?"  
"I don't know what you're talking about"  
"Bullshit. It was in his journal. You know he can see things. What happened here?"  
He didn't want to draw this conversation out, and he couldn't believe he hadn't put it together sooner  
"This facility was used for medical research. They were attempting to find a solution for werewolves"  
It was Yelena who answered his question. Zeke fixing her with a filthy glare  
"Did people die here?"  
"All the time"  
That's all he needed to know  
"He won't attack again, but I suggest you bring something to cover his ears with, or he might be tempted to"  
Zeke crossed his arms, puffing himself up as if to be intimidating   
"Levi, explain"  
"Bring me water and bandages, then we'll talk"  
"You're in no position to make demands"  
"If you want answers, you'll bring me water and bandages so I can take care of his wounds"  
Yelena opened her mouth, but Zeke shot it down  
"He will heal, then we will see about doing something about his distemper. Out bursts like this, only bring his death closer"  
Leaving them, Levi was relieved to see the man with gun leaving too.

With little choice, Levi lapped the blood from Eren's face. He couldn't taste anything unusual in it, but something was definitely off in his fiancé's scent. Trying to make Eren as comfortable as possible, Levi had him laying flat on his back with his arms and legs spread slightly so he could assess any breaks. His hands were wrecked, so was his left ankle, and his neck bloodied from Zeke's jaws. He really didn't expect Yelena to return with bandages and water. She didn't help, instead she stood back and watched, pissing Levi off further  
"Do you enjoy torturing a teenage boy?"  
"We do not torture"  
"Then what would you call this? Do you even care that he's hurting? From forces he can't even control? He can hear and see things that no one else can... yet, you all get mad when he snaps"  
"It was an unfortunate incident. He was lucky Zeke was still in the complex"  
"Lucky his throat wasn't torn out. How does it feel to work for a psychopath?"  
"Commander Zeke is in a difficult position"  
"From where I'm standing, it's pretty fucking simple. All he has to do is let Eren go"  
"If he could, he would"  
"Right. Because he totally has Eren's best interests in mind"  
"He isn't free to act as he desires. His clan wasn't too forgiving of Grisha Yeager's acts of treason. Zeke has been forced to prove his loyalty since a young age"  
"If it's so bad, why didn't he leave?"  
"I don't think you understand the power of the people he serves"  
Right. No matter how high you rose, there was always someone's arse you had to kiss  
"He does care about Eren. The bombing on your Capital City was his way of hurting those who hurt Eren"  
"If he knew anything about Eren, he'd know Eren can't forgive needless bloodshed"  
"I think he feels connected to Eren, due to their pasts, and their future"  
"What's that supposed to mean? Zeke is insane, what future could there be for him"  
"His mental condition comes from his environment and bloodline. He was raised and forced to deny everything about his culture until the Government realised they could use his powers for their own gain. It wasn't until the others came that he began to embrace his heritage, instead of seeing it as the curse it is"  
Yelena actually cared for Zeke? He didn't understand it  
"Shooting people and calling their lifestyle a sin, hardly seems like embracing things"  
"That's because on the mainland, things are very different. Shifters have been hunted to near extinction. Pack mentality has shifted. The strong of the pack protect the weak, but even they can't save them. Those who can tap into their wolves are put into the service of the Government. Grisha Yeager was working on a cure for the shift, before he abandoned everything and entered the walls"  
"Eren said something about him being banished from the clan? That's what Zeke told him"  
"For his radical ideas of breeding out the wolf blood and instabilities that come with it. He was pro interspecies breeding, which doesn't go over well when you're building an army of monsters"  
"Then why does Zeke want to save him? What's coming?"  
Yelena clammed up. Falling silent and refusing to even look in his direction. At least she made sense... and she was probably going to report every single thing back to her superiors, but she had brought supplies for Eren, so he chose to let it side. Keeping his temper as he patched Eren up the best he could, before returning the bowl of bloodied water to her. They should have just stayed in the fucking tent, away from the warmth of the town. Then none of this would be happening, and instead all he'd have to worry about was when Shitty Glasses and the Brat Squad arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send help


End file.
